Harry Potter: Keeper of the Dark Heart
by Shadow Crystal Mage
Summary: [W.I.T.C.H. xover] Harry Potter is the Keeper of the Dark Heart, one of the two most powerful magical energy sources in the multiverse. What does he do with this power? Read and find out!chp14 up
1. Is That Really Harry?

A/N: I'm writing this as future material/setup for a big crossover I'm planning, but if I get the right kind of response, I'll continue it. And probably even if I don't. I write for writing's sake. Mostly. It's still nice to get reviews, though.

Slight OOC, will be either corrected, explained away or forgotten in later chaps.

This starts at chapter seventeen of book two of Harry Potter and before the beginning of the Nerissa arc of W.I.T.C.H., between issues 15 and 16. Enjoy!!!

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Harry Potter: Keeper of the Dark Heart

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 1: Is That _Really_ Harry?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, which belongs to J.K. Rowling, or W.I.T.C.H., which belongs (I think) to Disney and an Italian lady. This is based on the comic book version of W.I.T.C.H., not the cartoon version, or the kiddy book version. Strangely, the only spot on the planet that doesn't get the comics seems to be the US. The graphic novel is a pathetic alternative. I am not doing this for money. I ask any relatives reading this to never bring it up in my presence or I will cut you off from my will.

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Deep within the Chamber of Secrets, near the end of second year….

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"She won't wake," a soft voice said.

Harry didn't react as he lay Ginny gently down on the ground, before rising. He knew who, what was behind him, knew since he entered the Chamber that he and Ginny weren't alone. Slowly, he turned around, looking at the tall, black-haired boy leaning against the nearest pillar. Or at least, what _looked_ like a boy. Even to normal eyes, he would have looked slightly blurred around the edges. But to Harry, it was obvious what he was. And, more importantly, _who_ he was.

"Tom Riddle," Harry said. "Or do you prefer I call you Lord Voldemort?"

Riddle's eyes widened in surprise.

Harry allowed himself a crooked half-smile. "What? You didn't think I know? I knew what you were the moment I stepped within a few meters of you. But I'll indulge you. Let's pretend I have no idea who or what you are. How would you introduce yourself to me. What are you?"

"A memory," Riddle said quietly, not taking his eyes off Harry. His gaze pierced as he tried to see inside the Potter boy. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years."

Harry glanced briefly at the little black diary near the giant statue's toes. "Just a memory? So modest. You're not going to admit you're a piece of soul?"

This time Riddle wasn't able to stop his jaw from dropping. "How-?"

Harry's half-smile grew a tad bigger. "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

Harry began to pace back and forth between Riddle and Ginny. "Let me see if I understand everything. Ginny somehow came into the possession of your diary at some point this year. Probably before me. She was the one who stole it from our dorm. She's been writing into it all year, and you were responding. You were sympathetic, you were kind."

Harry looked at Riddle, and the look in his eyes should have fried the memory on the spot. "You seduced her. You fed on her secrets, her soul, and started feeding yourself into her. You had her open the Chamber of Secrets, had her strangle the school roosters and write those threatening messages on the wall."

Harry turned away from the even more open-mouthed younger incarnation of Voldemort, and started pacing again. "She didn't know, of course. I suspect her memories of those times you possessed her are blanked out. Eventually, she stopped trusting her diary. Women's Intuition probably." A ghost of a smile twitched on Harry's lips. "But when she tried to dispose of it, I found it. And she became afraid that whatever she told you, you'd tell me. So she took it back. That must have made you mad, finding her the next person writing when _so_ wanted to talk to me. So you used Ginny as bait. Made her write a little farewell and carted her off down here. You drained, are still draining, the life out of her. That's the only way you could get out of the book. All to meet me."

Harry stopped pacing and looked at Riddle again, an amused glint in his eyes. "I'm almost flattered you went to so much trouble. So tell me. What does the mighty Heir of Slytherin want with little 'ole me?"

Riddle's mouth flapped open and shut repeatedly before he managed to say anything. "H-how do you know all this?" he said, voice shaking.

Harry smiled, an enigmatic smile so close to the one Dumbledore wore it was frightening. "You're not the only one good at getting into other peoples minds. I take it you have questions for me? Ah, yes, there they are. How did a little baby like myself manage to defeat the- how are you phrasing it?- 'greatest wizard of all time'? My, you certainly think a lot of yourself."

Harry looked at Riddle directly and his smile became more reminiscent of one of the Weasley twins. "Wouldn't you and the rest of the world like to know? All I'll tell you is that the reason you couldn't kill me is because of a factor you didn't expect."

"What factor?" Riddle demanded.

Again the enigmatic smile. "Love. My mother sacrificed her life to protect me. That's the factor. Love… and the power of the Heart."

Riddle opened his mouth, but whatever he intended to say was lost as music began to drift down from somewhere. Riddle whirled around to stare at the empty chamber as Harry closed his eyes, swaying slightly to the music, which was growing louder. It was eerie, spine tingling, unearthly; Harry felt it filling his heart, 'til he thought it would burst.

When the music reached its peak, flames erupted on top of the nearest pillar, and a crimson bird the size of a swan appeared, with a glittering golden tail, gleaming talons, and a ragged bundle in its grip.

"Phoenix song is _so _wonderful, don't you think so?" Harry asked pleasantly as the bird flew straight at Harry, dropping the bundle at his feet before perching on his shoulder.

"That's a phoenix.." Riddle said, staring at it.

"Brilliant deduction, Sherlock. I understand how you got such good grades in school," Harry said with just the faintest mocking tone as he stroked Fawkes' head.

"And _that_, that's the old school sorting hat," Riddle continued, missing the tone as he gazed at the bundle with no little disgust.

"Show some respect," Harry said. "That thing's older than you are."

Riddle smiled, a twisted smile, and he started to laugh. It echoed though the chamber, sounding as if ten of him were laughing at one.

"Nice acoustics," Harry said unconcernedly.

"That is what Dumbledore sends his defender! A songbird and an old hat!" Riddle laughed harder.

"He didn't send them," Harry said. "I called for them, right Fawkes?"

He looked at the bird on his shoulder, who bobbed his head as if nodding.

Riddle didn't seem to hear, however, and Harry waited patiently for him to stop laughing.

"Alright, on to business," Harry said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together. "In case you don't know how this works, I'll explain it to you: you try to kill me-again!- and I beat the stuffing and humiliate you, just like last year and eleven years ago. Just to make things even, I'll let you use my wand. You already have there-" Harry pointed at his hand,"- so I don't have to give it to you. Now why don't you call your little pet Basilisk, just to liven things up?"

Riddle looked at him like he was insane.

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A little while later, Harry grimaced as he pulled the Basilisk fang from his arm, trying to ignore the pain emanating just above his elbow. He'd gotten overconfident, believed he'd be alright after Fawkes had blinded the Basilisk, that he'd played with it, until a lucky strike had allowed it to pierce him just above the elbow even as his flames incinerated it inside and out.

MAN, this** hurt!!!!!**

Ignoring what was left of the Basilisk as it sank into the pool at Slytherin's feet, Harry turned towards Riddle. Or, at least, tried to. His eyes weren't working so well, and the room was becoming a dull blur. Slowly, to be sure, but his version of the Gift- or should it be Curse?- of Xin Jing wasn't really meant to deal with this level of poisoning.

A patch of scarlet swam past and Harry heard a weight settle on his shoulder. Fawkes. Without hesitation, he moved his elbow closer to the Phoenix's head.

"You're dead, Harry Potter," Riddle said as he came closer. "Dead. Even Dumbledore's bird knows…"

Riddle trailed off as Fawkes' tears fell on the wound on Harry's arm.

Harry flexed said arm. "You were saying?" It was completely healed.

When Harry raised his hand and the wand flew straight to it, Riddle finally realized he was in trouble.

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Harry waited for the shard of soul in the diary-horcrux to be completely destroyed before he pulled the basilisk fang out of it. He knew Ginny would be alright: the drain on her life force had stopped when he had completely destroyed the soul. Drawing on the power of the Dark Heart, he encased her in a bubble, keeping her unconscious. He wasn't really sure how he did up it. Oh, on some level he knew; he just couldn't be bothered to think about it. He was grateful that the Dark Heart, like its counterpart, knew what to do when he asked it to do something.

Only when he was completely sure Ginny wouldn't wake up and that he was alone- except for Fawkes, of course- did he allow himself the luxury of collapsing. He curled up in a ball, knees drawn to his chest, and started to shake.

"What have I done Fawkes?" he said, eyes clenched shut.

It was a rhetorical question. He knew exactly what he had done. He had killed- again. The first time, it had been Quirell. Now, it was the basilisk and Tom Riddle. Granted, he had destroyed the soul in the horcrux, but it pretty much amounted to the same thing.

The phoenix rubbed his head on Harry's shoulder. _What you had to do, young one. What you had to do. _

Harry said nothing. Instead, he sat in the silence, seeing the history of the Chamber of Secrets...

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The Oracle's eyes opened from his meditations as he felt something at the extreme edge of detection. Finally, he had what he sought. He had been searching for it for nearly three Earth years, even before the Guardians were activated. Something that threatened the very existence of Kandrakar itself.

Granted, anything that needed the Guardians to fix tended to be like that, but what the hey.

The thing was very good at hiding itself, but in this instance, the Oracle had been lucky, very much so. He doubted he would be able to find the thing himself if needed, but he didn't need to. Now that he had proof it really did exist, action could be taken.

Rising from his seated position, he left the chamber he had been meditating in.

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"What's all this about, Grandma?" Hay Lin asked as she and the other Guardians followed the old woman through the halls of Kandrakar.

"The Oracle has called a meeting of the Hall regarding a threat to Kandrakar," Yan Lin explained, her lined face looking uncharacteristically serious.

"So what else is new?" Irma said, her arms crossed and looking bored.

And she had a point. This wasn't something unusual. Have a mess, call the Guardians. Downright predictable, actually.

"Quit it, Irma. Let's see what the deal is before we make up our minds," Taranee said.

"Why bother?" the Guardian of water said. "We know how it's going to happen. There's a problem, we fix it. That's the drill. Meridian taught us that."

Cornelia, for once, didn't answer back with a barb. She was too excited at the prospect of seeing Caleb again.

Entering the Council Chambers, they saw the Oracle already seated in his usual place. The Guardians were about to stand at their usual places in front of him, but a gesture from Yan Lin had them sitting next to her in the benches. They had barely settled when the Oracle spoke.

"Fellow beings, I stand before you to announce a great danger to Kandrakar," The Oracle said, promptly setting of a wave of murmuring.

"So what else is new," Irma mutters before the other Guardians shush her.

If the Oracle heard what she said, he gave no sign of it. "The ancient enemy of Kandrakar has returned. The Dark Heart walks abroad once more."

Yan Lin gasped, fear in her ancient eyes, fear and pain. Around her, the Council dissolves into frightened whispers.

With the Guardians, however, there was only a collective "Huh? Wha?".

The Oracle gestured. "Guardians, come forward."

The five girls looked at each other, shrugging, as they carefully made their way out of the benches and down to stand at their usual spot in front of the Oracle. His usually serene eyes were serious. "You five must know about this danger if you are to confront it, and all of Kandrakar's knowledge of the Dark Heart is at your disposal. Ask, and I shall answer."

The Guardian's eyebrows all threatened to pass their hairlines. That was new. Usually, he said something enigmatic that drove them nuts.

It was Will who spoke first. "No disrespect sir, but why the change? You're not usually this forthcoming about what you know."

"We do not have time for such things now, Keeper of the Heart," the Oracle said gravely. "Now, your only weapon against this enemy is knowledge of it."

"But what's so dangerous about this 'Dark Heart'?" Will persisted.

"It is Kandrakar's most ancient enemy," the Oracle answered. "Its power is opposed to the Heart of Kandrakar, and is as powerful as the Heart itself. The Keeper of the Dark Heart is as powerful as you Guardians, and is your nemesis."

"WHAT?!" Irma said, and the others were no less shocked. "You've got to be kidding!"

The Oracle shook his head sadly. "I kid you not, Guardian. The Keeper of the Dark Heart is as powerful as you five, and the Dark Heart itself possesses the power to destroy Kandrakar."

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Harry Potter looked up at the sky. Although it wasn't the least bit overcast, a feeling of gloom came over him. Instinctively, he raised his hand to the pendant that hung from around his neck from a simple leather-looking cord. It was a dark spherical crystal, seemingly filled with black mist, and framed by an asymmetrical assembly of dark metal. It seemed to pulse with a strange inner light, beating like a heart.

"So," Harry whispered to himself, "they've found me…"

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**- To be continued...**

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A/N: Damning title, _no_?

Yes, this _is_ crossed over with W.I.T.C.H.. I'm surprised no one's done it yet. You'd think that, given the number of _pinoys_ who read Harry and the number who read W.I.T.C.H., at least one besides me read both and is a fanfic writer to boot!

Yes, this _is_ a super-Harry fic.

No, this is _not_ a dark-Harry fic. Well, maybe. I can't be sure where the story takes me, as I don't have a specific end in mind. I just like the idea of Harry having a _**ton**_ of power with no prophecies, weird training, destinies or reincarnations attached. Just a little historical baggage…

Please review, C&C welcome. Heck, even flames are welcome. That means at least it's being read, if not liked.

Until next time, this is Shadow, signing off.


	2. Heart of Darkness, Child of Light

A/N: Happens between books two and three of Harry Potter, a few days after Harry returns to the Dursleys, and before the beginning of the Nerissa arc of W.I.T.C.H., between issues 15 and 16. That means after the Meridian arc, when Elyon is a friend again and the Metamoor is a happy place. Enjoy!

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Harry Potter: Keeper of the Dark Heart

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 2: Heart of Darkness, Child of Light

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, which belongs to J.K. Rowling, or W.I.T.C.H., which belongs (I think) to Disney and an Italian lady (not sure if it's only one). This is based on the comic book version of W.I.T.C.H., not the cartoon version, or the kiddy book version. I ask any relatives reading this to never bring it up in my presence or I will cut you off from my will. Seriously, you don't get any of my books when I die.

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Harry sat on the sill of his open window, in the smallest bedroom of number four, Privet Drive. He was half in and half out, leaning back on the frame as he contemplated. Uncle Vernon hadn't bothered to reattach the bars the Weasleys had ripped out when they had busted him loose last summer, so there was plenty of room. There was the danger of falling, but he wasn't worried. He had bigger things to think about.

'Bigger things' that, ironically, managed to fit in the palm of his hand. He held the cord in front of him. The Dark Heart was level with his eyes, a small, seemingly insignificant thing. It looked like some blown glass trinket, the kind that girls buy because, 'it's cute'.

A small smile played on his lips. That had been Hay Lin's first thought upon seeing the Heart of Kandrakar all those months ago, after Halloween. It was followed by a ton of others, though, that only _she_ had been able to sort through. Seriously, what traveled through that girl's brain, tachyons? Warp drive-capable ships?

He thought back to the time when _he'd_ first seen the Dark Heart. Three years. Three years ago, back when he had only been ten. Where had all the time gone? After such a short time, why did he somehow feel so _old_? Did Daniel feel like this?

He knew all the answers to these questions, however. He knew, if not everything, than a _lot_ of a lot. Heavy weighs the crown, and his was one he couldn't remove or give away. Only Death could remove it. But such was the price the Keepers of the Dark Heart paid.

Such was the price...

Harry sighed, a sad, exhausted, tired sigh. He wasn't bitter, just worn out. Being Keeper of the Dark Heart had been nearly all blessing and little curse until now. It had made school easier, since it was the nigh-ultimate multi-tool. The Green Lanterns' Power Rings were mere ghosts, unable to even approximate the true power of the Heart. Everything would be easy. At least, it could be.

Therein lay a danger. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The Dark Heart possessed ultimate, nigh-infinite, unlimited power. Imagine the corruption _it_ could bring.

So Harry had used the Dark Heart sparingly, often deliberately not using it so he'd get in trouble, at least if his friends were too. That was why Filch had caught them after they'd sent Norbert away, why he hadn't cured Hermione's petrification. Some lessons needed to be learned, some weights needed to be carried. After all, if it doesn't kill you, it'll only make you stronger.

Harry doubted he'd have to worry about that, though. Thanks (?) to the Gift (Curse?) of Kin Xia, he really didn't have to worry about things killing him. While it hadn't been able to deal with the basilisk venom right away, given time, it would have put him in a coma until it got out of his system and the damage was regenerated. You'd have to pour pure acid or molten lava in his veins to kill him, along with some rather extreme and a few simple things. Suicide was one of the _very_ few things guaranteed to work.

At that, Harry shuddered and thought of Daniel...

Now that Kandrakar knew of his existence, it was only a matter of time before they sent the Guardians to kill him. Heck, they'd talked about doing that very thing a few days ago, soon after his little 'burst' in the Chamber of Secrets. It was his fault, really. He knew better then to use so much power, but he'd been so worried about Ginny, he hadn't cared. Now Kandrakar knew he was alive. Two generations of Dark Heart Keepers straight, found! Sometimes, decades, even centuries had passed without Kandrakar knowing the Dark Heart was back, the Dark Keeper dying without so much as catching tights or wings of the Guardians, living normal lives with a little extra, until they die in some extreme, final manner or commit suicide. And he and Daniel managed to get caught within decades of each other. It was embarrassing!

He had no intention of killing the Guardians, and he knew for a fact that _they _weren't capable of killing _him_. They were not equipped for it psychologically. Elyon might be able to do it, but she wasn't a Guardian, and she was only capable of killing when Cedric and Phobos had been messing with her head. Yan Lin maybe, but she was no longer a Guardian, and she was pretty traumatized.

No, the outcome of their fight was up to him, and he had already decided. Still, he wished it didn't need to be this way. He'd gotten pretty fond of the girls over the past few months, even though he'd never met them face-to-face. He envied Will having at least one living parent who loved her, envied Irma, Taranee and Cornelia the siblings they had, envied Hay Lin her grandmother. He didn't want to hurt them, but his survival instincts wouldn't let them hurt _him_ either.

Sighing, he leaned back on the sill, resting his head against the wooden frame, and closed his eyes, letting his mind drift to the day he learned he was special, when another Heart had begun to pulse with his own...

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When Harry Potter awoke from troubled dreams one morning, he found himself in possession of one of the two most powerful sources of magical energy in the multiverse.

Of course, no one had told him this. He just _knew_ the minute he woke up. There was nothing to indicate the change. He didn't develop slitted eyes, bulging muscles, wings, a tail, markings on his forehead and cheeks. No shimmering, glowing aura of energy surrounded him, his hair didn't turn yellow and spiky, there were no tattoos on his body, nor did a talking cat or something similar tell him he was a reincarnation of a long-dead prince or the Card Captor or something or other.

He just _knew_.

It helped that there was something around his neck that wasn't there last night. A dark spherical crystal, seemingly filled with black mist, and framed by an asymmetrical assembly of dark metal. It took Harry a few moments to realize that nowhere did the frame touch the stone. Looking like it was suspended inside the setting, the crystal just _hung_ there, defying physical laws of science. Of course, magic could do that.

Magic. In the silence of the pre-morning calm, Harry shuddered. It had been a forbidden word in this house since before he or Dudley had been born, even before Albus Dumbledore had left him here to be protected, with only a letter of explanation...

Harry paused. He didn't know anyone named Dumbledore. Yet he could see him clearly in his mind's eye, an old man with a beard long enough to be tucked into his belt, wearing robes and tucking a letter into the blanket of a baby with a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead...

Harry shook his head frantically, trying to make it go away. He thought he was going crazy, but he _knew_ he wasn't. Somehow, he _knew_ that his vision was real.

As Harry started to panic, a feeling came over him, emanating from the crystal around his neck. It was a coolness, a chill, like he was standing in front of an open refrigerator. Harry shivered slightly, although it wasn't uncomfortable. Quite the opposite, really. It felt strangely comforting, like being enveloped by a blanket of snow. Hesitantly, his hand reached up and wrapped around the pendant.

The chill went into overdrive instantly, and a soft yet numbing cold suddenly enveloped his hand completely, before swiftly creeping up his arm. It spread to his chest, into his other arm, and down his legs. Finally, it rushed to his head, and gave new meaning to the phrase 'brain freeze' as the chill encompassed him completely, growing more intense, yet somehow still comfortable, still a cool breeze on a hot day.

Harry gasped...

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Long ago, a cruel emperor imprisoned four good dragons for doing a good and noble deed, in what he believed was defiance of him. He had them jailed in four different mountains, as punishment for their act of kindness. But a good nymph named Xin Jing would not allow this injustice to continue, and so used her power to free their essence from their bondage at the cost of her own life. At the spot which she fell, nothing was left but a glowing pink crystal, framed by an asymmetrical assembly of silver metal...

And thus was born the Heart of Kandrakar, symbol and ultimate weapon of the fortress in the heart of infinity. At least, that's how the story goes...

Yet there is another story, one of a much darker heart, the darkest heart...

The Dark Heart.

On the day before Xin Jing performed her noble deed, the very one that cost her her life, her cousin and lover Kin Xia, a nymph as strong as her, whose darkness of mood was matched only by the depth of her love for Xin Jing and her own devotion, received a vision of what was to come. She begged her dearest cousin not to do it, for it would only result in her death. But Xin Jing's kind heart would not allow her turn a blind eye to this injustice, and refused to let herself be swayed. Finally, after many tears, Kin Xia left Xin Jing on the eve of her demise in her darkest of moods. In mockery of her lover, she called herself Heian Jing, and on that very night was consumed by her own darkness, after swearing an oath that she and Xin Jing would never more be together, or there would come the death of all.

Xin Jing wept that night, and it is said that those who heard her cries were driven to madness by sorrow and despair. When the sun arose, she knew she would die, for she had no more reason to live. There are those who said that Xin Jing might yet have survived, for her lover at her side would have given her reason to. Yet she had none, and so her demise came as the very person who might have saved her said it would.

Yet that is not the end, for like Xin Jing, something was left when Heian Jing Kin Xia died. It was a dark stone that filled those who gazed upon it with cold and dread. And like the one who gave it birth, darkness came its name, a heart but through the mirror darkly. And though the Heart of Xin Jing came to be with Kandrakar, the darkness fled far from the light.

And through a mirror darkly...

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Harry blinked as the cold went away, leaving behind a shadow of its comforting chill. All this and more had become known to him, yet this above all. Knowledge swirled in his mind, confused and stray, yet Harry instinctively knew they were more knowledge than any man could ever hope to accumulate in one life, wisdom that had been earned over the course of millennia.

He didn't have time to ruminate over this, however. His aunt chose that moment to bang on his door and yell at him to make breakfast. Instinctively, he concentrated slightly, and the Dark Heart flared briefly, before being absorbed into him, leaving no outward evidence of it's existence.

Harry grinned slightly. This was going to be fun…

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Through out that year, Harry experimented with his amulet, his 'Dark Heart'. Messing with Earth, Water, Fire and Air came easily to him, although he learned he could also talk to animals and inanimate objects (when he felt like it), turn invisible, change his appearance, and read people's minds, among other things. It wasn't all chocolates, though. There were some rather memorable screw-ups, such as the time he blew up the Dursley's house (it took him the better part of the afternoon to reconstruct it, not to mention wipe out all his neighbors' memories of the event), and the time he turned himself into a girl.

He had to wipe a lot of memories those first few months, as he kept getting spotted, but once he worked on his magical 'sense' and was able to identify when people were close by, close enough to be a problem, it got easier. All his experimentations, however, led to a lot of self-isolation, which really didn't help his already non-existent social life. It did help him avoid Dudley's gang, however, and that was the only thing that kept them from getting turned into the toads, pigs and rats they deserved to be. If they'd actually found him while he was experimenting, the results would have been terrible- for them.

When the 'letters from no one' started coming in, he'd gotten familiar enough with his powers to get a passing understanding of why the Dursleys were so freaked out. By the time he came to Hogwarts, he already knew how to put his understanding of his practice with the Dark Heart to use on this system of magic. He was very good at Charms and Transfiguration, mainly because that was most of the things he experimented with, besides the pure elemental energy manipulation of the Dark Heart itself.

At Hogwarts, he never told anyone about the Dark Heart. He knew that he was the first Keeper that was a Wizard, and even if he wasn't, the very nature of the Dark Heart demanded absolute secrecy. In all it's collected history, the revelation of the existence of the Dark Heart had, always and only, led to trouble and suffering for it's Keeper.

Always and only trouble and suffering...

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Which, Harry mused, came right back to his present predicament. His existence had been revealed to Kandrakar, who would like nothing better than to wipe him out of creation. The cycle of destruction perpetuates itself. If the Guardians slew him, another would come to take his place, eventually. If he slew them, Kandrakar would just keep coming for his head. This was why the Keepers of the Dark Heart chose to stay in the shadows, hiding their power. To participate in this aggression would only lead to trouble, and many of the former Keepers only wanted simple lives. Many got it, some didn't.

And, since some greater power seemed to have it in for him, Harry was one of those oh-so-fortunate ones who didn't. It wasn't _his_ fault things kept happening to him at Hogwarts. The times he had used the Dark Heart were during the times his life had been threatened. And he couldn't just let Ginny die, could he?

Somehow, he doubted Kandrakar would see it like that. To them, he was the Keeper of the Dark Heart, pure and simple, and must be destroyed.

Heck, they were sending their champions, the Guardians, to do it now!

Sighing, Harry rose from his position on the sill. Best he get ready now. He _really_ didn't want to have to wipe the neighbors' minds again. Or rebuild the house.

Wrapping his hand around the Dark Heart, relishing in the sensation of cold, he closed his eyes and concentrated his power. The Heart of Kin Xia pulsed, and a fine but thick black mist surrounded him, a dark duplicate of cold, frosty air. It surrounded him in its power, seemingly sucking the very light of the room, and when it fell away, he was transformed. Emerald eyes stared out from a narrow, bishounen face, framed by strands of raven hair. But gone was the body of old. Instead, Harry stood in the form of a sixteen year-old. His body was lithe, and looked more suitable to be that of a girl's. His limbs were thin, although not painfully so. He wore knee high black boots, into which were tucked the legs of his black pants. A black shirt covered his chest and over that he wore a long-sleeved black trench coat with a high collar, that was vaguely Seto Kaiba-esque, but without the sharp angels and wrinkles. His over-all appearance was vaguely goth, a wraith. A hot, handsome wraith.

Harry grinned as he looked at himself in the mirror. If he was going to make a first impression on the W.I.T.C.H. girls, this was a good way as any of making it. If nothing else, it ought to mess with their heads enough so he would have a split-second opening to make a move. If there was one thing he knew about those girls, it was that all of them, even the ones with crushes and boyfriends, were all boy-crazy.

Concentrating again, he left a little something behind to make sure that the Dursleys didn't find him missing and teleported over to where he thought was a suitable place to have this fight. Cold, black mist surrounded him as he disappeared, and the world shifted around him, moving himself around the spot where he stood so that instead of being in his room at the Dursley house, he was suddenly at an empty field in some island in the pacific. Not a breeze stirred, as if nature itself held its breath, waiting the arrival of the Guardians, or perhaps, the end of the encounter. No breeze blew, yet his coat fluttered and billowed around him. He was always a sucker for the classics.

Harry smiled as he felt the magic coming together. He'd never felt this magic before, yet he knew exactly what it was. The Power of the Heart. The Heart of Kandrakar. It was time. But would this end the cycle… or perpetuate it? Either way, he wasn't going down.

When they appeared, all they saw was a guy their apparent age, wearing a black trench coat that fluttered in a non-existent breeze.

"Hello, W.I.T.C.H.," Harry said. "I've been waiting for you…"

On it's cord, the Dark Heart pulsed.

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**- To be continued...**

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A/N: Harry got the Dark Heart a little over two years before the Guardians were activated. That was a year earlier than the earliest appearance of the girls' 'special-ness' (see W.I.T.C.H. special #1). Talk about early bloomers. The girls went active on his second year. Unlike the girls, he got everything in one go, along with all he needed to know about being Keeper of the Dark Heart, lacking only experience.

Kin Xia's effect is kind of a more concentrated version of the Gift of Xin Jing. Kin Xia doesn't really mean anything that I know of, it just thought is sounded nice. I _think_ Heian Jing means Dark Heart, but I'm not sure. I was working off a really old book.

Harry has powers that are in some ways opposites of the Guardians. Hay Lin has the power to 'see' memories through sound. Harry can 'see' through silence. He also has non-opposites of their powers, such as Hay Lin's flying ability (she's the only Guardian who can). Basically, most of his powers will be an altered version of theirs.

Harry can't be sited for using underage magic when he's using the Dark Heart because the Ministry can't detect it. If they'd seen it's effects, sure, but he also wiped out Mrs. Figg's memories.

To **deadly-anger**: yeah, that _is_ weird…

To **Radszilla**: W.I.T.C.H. is a comic published by Disney, at least where I am. It's kind of like Sailor Moon mixed with concentrated angst and mush, with a hint of CLAMP. It's good, but its artwork is better. Don't worry, this is about Harry, not them. Still, info can be found in: wikipedia dot org/wiki/W.I.T.C.H.

To **Mikoto**: thank you for saying that.

To **Blue Werewolf Boy**: you'd be surprised how little I'd thought out when I'd published this… XD

To **kinguofdoragons**: I hope this is better than just 'okay…' –_pouts_-

To **The Red Dragons Order**: OMG! ** Red Dragons Order**-sama, reviewing my fic. OMG, OMG, OMG…

Ahem. Sorry, knee-jerk reaction. I hope this chap clears up some questions about Harry's status. He's purely human, and like the W.I.T.C.H. girls was chosen to be 'special'. No, you didn't get the related things wrong, although, since Meridian is friendly towards the Guardians now, I think the politically correct term is 'Metamoorian' or Meridianite'. _I_ should be the one worried about getting things wrong!

To **JuMiKu**: That's technically true, since he's not working for Kandrakar, but Harry's still the hero of his own canon…

To **Ran Hoshino**: Ran, you never cease to surprise me. _You_ read W.I.T.C.H.? Or at least know about it? Wow! Thanks for the comments, they really perk me up.

Up next, it's Harry versus W.I.T.C.H.! After this epic battle, who will stand triumphant? The Guardians of the Light…? Or the Keeper of the Dark…? Find out, next! Or when I get around to it, whichever comes later… XD

Please review, C&C welcome. Flames will be given to Taranee to play with. Closet pyromaniac...

I'd just like to ask, could my reviewers identify if they're male or female? I think at least four of the reviews I got for the first chap are from guys, but I can't be sure with the gender-neutral names/titles. Please? It'll really help my self-esteem in writing this fic.

Until next time, this is Shadow, signing off.


	3. WITCH vs Wizard !

A/N: Enjoy…

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Harry Potter: Keeper of the Dark Heart

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 3: W.I.T.C.H. vs. Wizard !

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, which belongs to J.K. Rowling, or W.I.T.C.H., which belongs (I think) to Disney and some European lady. This is based on the comic book version of W.I.T.C.H., not the cartoon version, or the kiddy book version. I ask any relatives reading this to never bring it up in my presence or I will cut you off from my will.

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Will looked at Irma. Irma looked at Taranee. Taranee looked at Cornelia. Cornelia looked at Hay Lin. Hay Lin looked at Will. Will gulped.

When the Oracle had told them they could ask for anything the fortress knew about the Dark Heart, they had asked for everything. The reason why the Oracle was being so free immediately became obvious: Kandrakar knew very little about the Keepers of the Dark Heart. What they did know promptly made the Guardians ask for a few days to prepare themselves before they tackle the newest one. The Oracle gave them three.

The minute they got back home, they all threw up. Kandrakar's means of imparting information had basically been showing magical home-movies while the Oracle kept a running commentary. As the 'home-movies' progressed, the members of the Council had all started leaving their seats, faces green, or blue or orange, or whatever color their species turned to when they had an upset stomach. Finally, only the Guardians, Yan Lin and the Oracle had been left.

The information could be summed up to this: the Keepers of the Dark Heart were cruel, bloodthirsty animals who needed to be put out of their misery. Their evil would have become legendary on Earth if the Guardians of old hadn't systematically wiped out all trace of the Dark Heart Keepers' existence after defeating them. Still, so great had been their hold that they managed to be remembered as legend and myth, so great had the fear they had caused been.

The last Dark Heart Keeper encountered had tried to destroy the Guardians themselves by manipulating one of their own. Fortunately, her teammates had managed to wrest her from his grasp and managed to kill the Dark Heart Keeper, but not without lasting consequences…

For Will, the information had been frightening. She remembered clearly what the Oracle had said about the Dark Heart being as powerful as the Heart of Kandrakar. Would _its_ power also twist her into those kinds of monsters?

Irma, Taranee, and Cornelia had been scared shitless. All they could see were the images of Dark Heart Keepers massacring Guardians that had been sent against them. Some had dispatched them with frightening ease, others had destroyed themselves resisting. A rare few had been defeated and killed by the Guardians sent against them. However, those Guardians had suffered fatal losses, or were wither permanently disfigured, traumatized, or abused before they won.

For Hay Lin, only anger flowed. At first, she had been scared by what she had seen the other Dark Heart Keepers do. That is, until she had come to the very last known Keeper. Rage had taken her heart as she saw who the Keeper had manipulated, and she had sworn that _this_ Keeper would never do anything like that again.

It was a very messed-up group of girls who came together in Kandrakar days later. All were nervous beyond belief, and even Hay Lin's fury had been banked. None of the Council said anything, although many were crying, Yan Lin among them. The Oracle had already given them his blessing.

Finally, not being able to hold it off much longer, Will raised the Heart of Kandrakar and said, "Heart of Kandrakar, take us to where we least wish to be."

It had to be like that. One of the nuggets of knowledge they had managed to obtain was that the Heart of Kandrakar couldn't take them directly to the Keeper of the Dark Heart. It had to be roundabout. It didn't help that the Dark Heart could apparently block the Heart of Kandrakar from finding it. Still, they hoped this would work.

They also hoped it _didn't _work, but hey, who could tell?

When the Guardians disappeared from Kandrakar, silence filled the air, broken only by the sounds of crying…

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The Guardians reappeared in a field. The first thing they noticed that the temperature was hotter than it was in Heatherfield.

The second thing they noticed was the boy apparently waiting for them.

"Hello, W.I.T.C.H.," he said. "I've been waiting for you…"

For a moment, they were floored by his good looks. Cornelia found herself forgetting about Caleb. The others found themselves following similar lines of thought. Even Hay Lin momentarily forgot her anger.

Irma summed it up for them. _Why are all the **really** good-looking ones evil?_ she wailed telepathically. _It's just not fair!_

Then what he said hit them. "How do you–" Will began.

"Know you call yourselves W.I.T.C.H.?" he said, smiling enigmatically. "_Sore wa himitsu desu_, Will. If I told you things like that, it might make it easier for Guardians to kill Keepers of the Dark Heart."

That changed the mood instantly, and Hay Lin went back to grinding her teeth and imagining creative ways to end this boy's life.

"Will," the boy said, as if sampling the word. "Irma. _Tara-_nee. Cornelia. Hay Lin… such cute names you have."

Irma, true to her nature, couldn't keep her mouth shut. "Hey, that's not fair! You know our names but we don't know yours!"

The boy tilted his head. "Would it really matter? It's just a name. But alright, I'll humor you. Call me… Morpheus."

Even as he spoke, his eyes changed. Blackness covered them, and what were once normal eye-sockets became voids of starry darkness. The girls shivered.

"Now," he said, crossing his arms, "to what do I owe the pleasure of the company of the Guardians of Kandrakar?"

His voice said he knew very well why, but Will decided to play along. She knew they were procrastinating, but she really didn't know what else to do. Their orders from Kandrakar… she wasn't sure any off them could fulfill it.

_Correction_, she thought as she set eyes on Hay Lin, who was seething with barely suppressed anger and sending Morpheus looks that should have killed him on the spot. She wasn't sure if _most _of them could carry out the orders.

"We-" her voice cracked and she had to start again. "We've been asked to escort you to Kandrakar to answer certain questions regarding something in your possession," she lied.

Morpheus gave her a withering look. "Liar," he said. "You're all here to kill me for things that I never even did."

Nearly all of the girls winced.

"It doesn't matter that you didn't do them! We know that one day you will!" This was uncharacterically yelled by Hay Lin, who was shaking. Her fists were clenched, and it looked like it was all she could do to hold herself back.

Morpheus turned towards her, and Will sagged in relief to no longer be the target of his eyes. "Hay-hay. Tell me, how's your grandmother doing these days?"

With a growl, Hay Lin shot towards him like a bullet, fingers curled into claws and aiming for his throat.

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Harry knew he'd gone too far when Hay Lin lunged for him. _Okay, note to self, never mention her grandmother_.

Harry dodged to the right, trying to keep all five girls in sight. One advantage of the glamour/illusion/_genjutsu_/whatever he had placed over his eyes was that they had no idea where he was looking, giving him a slight edge if they thought he couldn't see them. And outnumbered as he was, he needed that edge.

The simple thing to do was to wipe them out in a straightforward, high-energy explosion- if he wanted to kill them. Since he didn't, things got difficult for him, since he had to a) deal with multiple targets working together, b) had to put up a fight that looked serious but only c) incapacitating and not killing them. Not to mention he couldn't use his telepathy to get into their heads. Taranee would detect that, so he would have to rely on their rudimentary link, which wasn't all that good. The fact that Hay Lin managed to try to attack him without him getting any warning was proof of that.

He thought the act he'd put up went rather well. It had been disturbing, trying to act like a mix of Dumbledore and Malfoy, but even more disturbing how easy it was. He wasn't _really_ like that, was he?

At least this way, they had no- or at least, little- idea of what he was really like, which cut down on the things they knew about him.

Back to the fight.

Waving his left hand high, he knocked Hay Lin off course with a gale-force blast of wind, knocking her right into Taranee and causing the two of them to crash to the ground. Two down- for the moment- three to go.

"Hay Lin!" he heard Will cry.

Harry had to dodge again as the three Guardians still on their feet sent blasts of magic his way. Dodging, he noted that the three had only sent blasts of _pure_ magic. Another point in his favor. They obviously didn't know how to be more creative with their powers. Raising his left hand again, he conjured a ball of flame and pointed it at Cornelia. The Guardian made to dodge, falling for his feint, and he triggered an earthquake at her feet that sent her crashing to the ground. Thick vines suddenly erupted, wrapping around the blonde Guardian as she tried to counter with her own powers. Three down.

"Lesson number one," he said as tossed the ball of fire from hand to hand, casually sidestepping Will's blast as Irma tried to free Cornelia, who was 'HMPH!'-ing frantically. "You can't undo something I made with your powers as long as I'm maintaining it. That means the blonde stays, pruny."

He tapped his foot, and the ground beneath Irma exploded in a spray of vines, taking the two of them as she screamed. Harry caught something about henticle monsters and nearly choked. That had been too much information.

"Don't even try burning through those unless you want your friends to die, Taranee," Harry said, turning his attention to Hay Lin and Taranee, who had gotten back on their feet. Hay Lin was shaking her head dizzily, but Taranee was obviously ready to rumble if her glare was any indicator. Harry could almost see a flame dancing in her eyes. An aura of flames certainly covered her clenched fist. Making himself smirk, Harry caught the ball of fire he was messing with and pointed it at her, launching a steady stream of flame. "Especially since you ought to be more worried about yourself."

Taranee raised her hands, and twin streams of fire erupted from her palms, meeting his with equal force. "You're awfully cocky for someone outnumbered five to one."

Harry just smiled widely. "Did you know that dirt is as effective as water when it comes to snuffing out fires?" he said, tapping his foot again.

The ground under Taranee's feet opened, sucking her in slowly as her expression turned to one of horror.

"What are you going to do? You need your hands to pull you out of that trap!"

"She doesn't need her hands! She has friends!"

"EEW, **EEW,_EWW!_** HENTICLES, **HENTICLES, _HENTICLES!_**"

Harry turned in time to get knocked off his feet as Cornelia used his own trick against him and sent an earthquake his way. Will had somehow managed to blast through his vines and get her and Irma out.

Terminating his flame, Harry dodged out of the way, rolling under the inferno Taranee directed. Focusing on an image in his mind, he used a bit of the Dark Heart's magic and thin metal armor appeared on his body. Bracers and shin guards appeared on his fore limbs, a simple breastplate materialized on his chest and back, and a silk mask and dark goggles covered his face.

He turned just in time to dodge several multiple blasts of magic, along with a blast of flame. Taranee's magic blast was hidden in her flames, he noticed. He supposed it was an instinctual thing, that she placed her flames before her magic. The blast she had used before had been pure fire.

"Nice outfit," Irma said as she sent another blast his way, which he dodged, barely. Her power was water; her blasts contained a lot of kinetic force, more so than the others. A tsunami made-magic. Not something he wanted to be hit with.

"At least it's better than those tights you chicks wear!" he answered back as he deflected a blast from Hay Lin. "Seriously, what's with all the purple? You girls gay or something?"

"**_HEY!_**" they all chorused, and Harry chuckled. He'd struck a nerve, it seemed.

"I'll have you know I have a boyfriend!" Cornelia yelled as she sent a blast his way, her anger causing the ground beneath her to shake. He dodged _that_, too. _Her_ powers were based on Earth. Getting hit would be like having a mountain dropped on him. Of the Guardians, she and Irma had the strongest blasts, her from shear mass, Irma from shear force. Both translated into kinetic energy that would squash his head like a melon.

"The guy who used to be a Whisperer? They're sexless, right?" he taunted as he dodged behind a rock to keep from being deep-fried. "How do you know he's really a guy? I mean, she could have picked to be a girl and is just cross-dressing to confuse you!"

"Shut up!" Cornelia yelled, and the other Guardians eyed her nervously, discretely backing away. Cornelia in a temper was _not_ something you wanted to be next to. "He's more of a guy than you are! Five girls are beating you!"

"And a blond drag-queen in a dress beat _him_!" he retorted. "_I_, however, am still standing. What does that say about your girlfriend?"

"Caleb is A **GUY!!**" Cornelia yelled, using both hands to blast him with magic he tried to dodge again, but her anger put a lot of power behind this. An earthquake started where her blasts struck, knocking him off his feet.

It was the chance the girls were waiting for.

"Taranee! When I say so, give me a fire!" Hay Lin said. Raising her hands, Harry could feel her focusing her power.

His eyes widened. "Oh no…" he whispered. While the rudimentary link wasn't all that good, it was good enough to tell him what Hay Lin had in mind.

He was right.

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Will grinned as she watched Hay Lin trap Morpheus in a tornado. The wind was whirling so fast she couldn't see him anymore. Hah! Take that! That's what he deserved! Accusing them of being gay… -_grumble, grumble…_-

As she pooled her power with Hay Lin, she wondered what the other girl had in mind. Why had she asked Taranee to be ready to give her a fire…?

Will's eyes widened.

"Taranee! NOW!" Hay Lin yelled.

In a flash, the tornado became an inferno, and a pained scream erupted from its center.

"Hay Lin…!" Will said.

"He has to be stopped, Will!" Hay Lin yelled, not taking her eyes off her flaming twister. "He has to be stopped!"

"Not like this…" Will said.

"**How do you propose we kill him, then?** " Hay Lin shot back.

Creative. But this won't work…

Will froze as the voice echoed in her head. Morpheus' voice…

With a violent explosion, the tornado collapsed, flames and all, knocking the Guardians off their feet. Morpheus hovered in the air above them, coat singed slightly but unscathed. Fire and Wind swirled around him as he levitated down.

"Lesson number two," he said as flames spun lazily around him. "I'm stronger than any one or two or three or _four_ of you. So nothing you try is going to work. Anything _I_ try, however…"

Wind began to blow around Will, swirling in a familiar pattern. She and the other Guardians barely had time to scream before they were each trapped in their own personal tornado.

"…is going to be devastatingly effective."

Will didn't know how long she was in the tornado, but the next thing she knew, she had company. Morpheus had apparently combined their tornadoes into one super-twister.

"Will!" yelled Hay Lin as she flew by. "What do we do?"

Will reached for her, but missed. Trying again, she managed to grab Cornelia's hand. "Get together! We have to pool our power to break this thing!"

"Is that such a good idea?" Taranee said as she grabbed hold of Irma.

"You heard what he said!" Will grabbed at Hay Lin again, and managed to catch her. "He's more powerful than any _four _of us! But I bet he's not as strong as the five of us together!"

Actually, I am…

"GET OUT OF OUR HEADS, YOU FASHION REJECT!" Irma and Cornelia chorused. They all heard a sniff.

_You're one to talk. But seriously, I feel it only common courtesy to warn you that what you're planning won't work._

"SHUT **UP, YOU _MONSTER!_**" Hay Lin yelled. There was a sigh.

Fine. Be that way. But don't say I didn't warn you…

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None of the girls were sure what happened. All they knew was that one minute, they were combining their powers into the Heart of Kandrakar, the next, they were all back in their normal forms, lying stunned on the ground with their ears ringing and looking at the collapsing remnants of their whirling prison. A foot fell down next to Will's head, right in front of her face.

"I told you that wouldn't work," Morpheus' voice said. "But did you girls listen? _Nooo…_"

Growling, Hay Lin struggled to her feet, lunging at him, but the ground beneath her exploded in a fountain of dirt that held her immobile.

Morpheus turned to look at her lazily. "That didn't work when you were at full power. What chance do you have in that pathetic body?"

"LET ME GO AND FIND OUT!" Hay Lin yelled, struggling against her bonds.

Morpheus shook his head, before waving his hand in her general direction. "Sleep."

Hay Lin's head suddenly drooped to the side, her face slack, a snot bubble on her nose, and snoring like she'd been asleep for hours.

"Lesson number three," Morpheus said, turning his back on Will as she and the others struggled back to their feet. She felt like someone had used her head for a drum at a rock concert. For several days. Using a mace for sticks. "None of you have what it takes to beat me."

"That's not true!" Will said as she stood up. "Guardians have beaten your kind before! We can too!"

Morpheus shook his head as he turned to face them. "You obviously weren't paying attention to what the Oracle was showing you, Will. Most of the groups that killed 'my kind' did so by committing group suicide and taking him out with them. The few Guardians who killed one by themselves were Keepers of the Heart on a suicide attack. None of you are strong enough to beat me, and has nothing to do with power. Although that _does_ play a large part."

He turned to face them, standing protectively around the sleeping Hay Lin, whom Taranee and Irma were trying to wake. "None of you are strong enough to beat me because none of you are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. None of you are willing to die to kill me. None of you have the strength of your convictions. Not even the Heart of Kandrakar has the power to overcome that weakness."

"We're not weak!" Cornelia said. As if to prove her point, she sent a blast of magic at Morpheus.

Morpheus caught it on his bracer. It pushed him back a couple of inches before he managed to deflect it, knocking Cornelia back with the recoil. Cornelia collapsed against the column that imprisoned Hay Lin.

"I beg to differ," Morpheus said coolly. "Although your devotion to each other is certainly strong– and admirable-" (at this, he nodded at Irma and Taranee) "–I am far stronger. I hold both the power of the Dark Heart _and_ the strength of my convictions. You come here not even having the strength to speak your true mission when asked. That is why, even though I stand alone, I am more powerful."

"Nothing is more powerful than our friendship!" Will said. Her headache was dying down, but she still didn't dare summon the Heart of Kandrakar. If the others felt as weak as she did, they really wouldn't stand a chance.

"Yes there is, Will," Morpheus said. "The fact I'm still standing proves it. And at this stage, you have no hope of beating me when it comes to shear power. Friendship only has strength when you are all united. Tell me honestly, besides Hay Lin, which of you were out to kill me?"

Silence was the only answer. Will thought back to what Hay Lin had said.

Morpheus smiled. "You see? You weren't ready to sacrifice your innocence like your friend there," he pointed at Hay Lin. "You weren't _really_ united. That's why you lost."

Will clenched her fist. Then again, maybe they could take him down while he was lecturing and.. then what? Kill him?

Morpheus tilted his head. He sounded amused. "You're thinking of attacking, aren't you? Don't you realize how futile that is, against _my_ power? No? Then I'll prove it to you."

He snapped his fingers. "Will, Keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar! Kiss Cornelia."

Will felt her mind going blank as a foreign coldness invaded her mind. It surrounded her, filling her with a sense of well being as all thought and emotion was wiped from her mind, giving way to a strange lucidity, where she was completely aware of everything around her, yet completely detached. Without any say-so from her, she turned around, her hands lifting on their own accord to rest on Cornelia's shoulders. She had only a split second to see the surprise on the Guardian of Earth's face before she closed her eyes and kissed Cornelia, who froze. She kissed her deeply, one hand moving behind Cornelia's head to pull her closer as the other moved down to the small of the blonde's back. The blonde tasted like strawberries to Will, who moaned in appreciation. Their bodies pressed against each other as Will deepened the kiss, her tongue grazing Cornelia's lips, before pushing between them and…

"Stop."

The whole world came crashing down on Will as she realized what she was doing. Still mouth-to-mouth with Cornelia, her eyes shot open, taking in the wide-eyed look of the heavily blushing non-bride. Almost biting her own tongue, she pulled back as if scalded. Turning around, red as her hair, Will tried to spit out the taste of Cornelia from her mouth. Behind her, she could hear her fiend doing the same, as well as the gagging and disgusted noises that she realized Irma and Taranee had been making ever since Morpheus had forced her to… With a choked-off shriek, she kept on gagging.

Morpheus was seemingly unaffected by what happened. "Even the mighty Keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar cannot beat my power. And you think you can defeat me?"

Morpheus turned around, his back to the Guardians, two of whom were still retching. "You're not worth my time."

Thick, fine black mist surrounded him, and he was gone.

After a couple more dry retches, a crimson-faced Will turned towards an equally hued Cornelia. "This never happened," she managed to hiss.

"Ditto," the blonde said. Irma and Taranee looked like their faces had been fused into their 'weirded-out' expressions

Taking out the Heart of Kandrakar, the four of them, plus the sleeping Hay Lin, disappeared.

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"Huh?" Hay Lin said blearily. "Wha happen'd?"

"We failed, Hay Lin," Will said, looking downcast.

"What!" Hay Lin yelled, losing the last vestiges of sleep as she quickly stood up by herself. She realized they were back in Kandrakar. The Council surrounded them, facing a large circle made of green mist that was showing the field where they had fought. "We CAN'T have lost! We're still alive! That means we beat him, right?"

As the others shook their heads, Hay Lin trembled. "No…"

Irma, however, was looking disapprovingly at the Council, and at the misty viewer in particular. "You were all WATCHING?"

At this, Cornelia and Will went scarlet again as the council members blushed, looked away, cleaned their fingernails, and generally did anything _but_ look at the Guardians.

Hay Lin frowned as she registered the mood. "Wha'd I miss?"

"**_NOTHING!_**" Will and Cornelia yelled practically in her face.

The Oracle coughed. His was the only face that didn't wear an interesting expression. Well, not _too_ interesting. He looked amused, for some reason. "Guardians, we are thankful for your safe return. Not many who have faced the Keeper of the Dark Heart have done so. Although you did not manage to defeat him, it is heartening to see that none of you fell."

"It wasn't anything we did, Oracle," Taranee said, wrapping her arms around her and shivering slightly. "He was toying with us. He could have killed us but he didn't."

Will nodded. "He had us completely at his mercy when our transformations failed."

"Why _did_ that happen, anyway?" Irma said, asking the obvious question.

The Oracle looked troubled. "We do not know, young Guardian. At the moment it happened, the connection was lost. Our next view was the five of you on the ground."

"Great," Irma muttered. "So in addition to being super-powerful and evil, he can also take our powers away, is that it?"

Before the Oracle could answer, Hay Lin pointed at the mist, still showing where they had fought. "LOOK!"

Fading in like a camera effect was Morpheus.

"He didn't leave?" Cornelia said.

"Why didn't you sense him, Taranee?" Will asked the telepath.

She shook her head. "I don't know, Will. I could have sworn he wasn't there."

The Oracle raised his hand, and they fell silent. They watched as Morpheus walked slowly around the sight of the battle, letting his armor plating dissolve. Waving his hand, they saw the fires Taranee had caused snuff out, the rents, tears and folds on the ground evening out as new grass grew to replace what had been destroyed. In seconds, the sight was exactly as they had found it.

Morpheus turned, seemingly looking right at them. But that was impossible.

Wasn't it?

Apparently not. "Rest up for round two, ladies," he said, his starry eyes sending shivers down their spines, not to mention to quite a lot of the Council. Only Yan Lin and the Oracle were unaffected. "We'll meet again."

The same fine black mist covered him, and the connection dissolved, causing the viewer to become nothing more than green mist…

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Harry sighed as he returned to Privet drive. He doubted the girls realized the danger they had put themselves in. And him too, of course. Having the Heart of Kandrakar out that close to the Dark Heart was lethal. He had the headache to prove it!

He was lucky he'd been able to pull off what he had done. The timing had been the tricky part. Keeping his power active long enough for the amount of power they were gathering to cause _all_ their transformations to collapse before deactivating his had been tantamount to playing Russian roulette with the switch of a nuke! If he'd done it wrong, they could have ended up insane! As it was, he'd managed to keep it together after the collapse to transform right away and fool them into thinking he had caused their collapse. He was paying the price now; his head felt like Dudley and Hagrid were sitting on it while trying to crack it open with several blunt ice picks.

Still, he thought he'd done what he'd sought out to do. After that little defeat, they would probably be picking up their self-esteem for the next few weeks, giving him time to plan out his moves. He would _not_ be killed for the fear of others!

Closing his eyes, he listened to what the Guardians were doing now. They were at Kandrakar, which fuzzed the connection a little, but it was still clear enough to be understood. The Oracle was excusing their not being able to kill them, while Hay Lin was seething at their failure. She wasn't blaming the other Guardians- she had no right since he'd made her go to sleep, a deliberate part of his plan- but she _was_ cursing his name, which he could take.

He sighed. It looked like the girls would have a little something to chew on tonight, and so would he, but at least they were still friends. Will and Cornelia were _very_ embarrassed, but he figured their relationship could live with that particular skeleton. Although he was surprised to learn that Cornelia had apparently enjoyed it, even if she wasn't admitting it, even to herself…

Breaking his concentration so that things wouldn't be so clear, the link faded, settling into its usual packets of intense thoughts and emotions that had- for the last two years- done much to enlighten him on the workings of the female mind. Although it was still a bit creepy having the heads of five girls directly hooked up to his, he'd gotten used to it.

Stopping time with a casual thought, he headed downstairs to replace his drone…

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**- To be continued...**

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A/N: Did anyone catch the **_Sandman_** reference? Love that series. His older sister's great!

I know Hay Lin's being OOC, but there's a reason for that.

Apologies to reviewers I wasn't able to acknowledge last update. I didn't have time to update the copy of chapter two I uploaded.

To **Exarikun**: Check the last chap for the link. Thank you for the comment.

To **korrd:** Okay.

To **XyBulmaXy**: Thank you for the comments.

To **Baka Shinobi**: yes and yes.

To **Sarah R Potter**: Thank you.

To **Ran Hoshino**: Thanks for the review. Hope you like this one too.

To **deadly-anger**: No one in Hogwarts knows. Caleb is still alive and is the Herald of Kandrakar.

To **JuMiKu**: Semi-evil? I suppose that depends on how you look at it…

To **Radszilla**: Attitude? I didn't know I gave him one…

To **The Red Dragons Order**: That's Caleb you're thinking off. As for Daniel, well…

To **ivan the terrable**: Seems so…

To **Dumbledork**: Thanks for the info about the rights.

Please review, C&C welcome. Flames will be used for my barbecue. Remember, please say if you're a guy or girl. or just if you're guy. I really need to know.

Coming up: who was Daniel? What other secrets does the Dark Heart hold? Find out, next…

Until next time, this is Shadow, signing off.


	4. The Kindly One

A/N: Time Jump! Harry's back in Hogwarts. This is somewhere after book seventeen in the Nerissa arc.

**Warning!!! SUICIDE ALERT!!! **Only implied, but there. This chap might rate about an R-13. This is somewhere after book seventeen in the Nerissa arc. Around, say, twenty.

For some reason, I can't seem to work on CCH. Danged muse!

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Harry Potter: Keeper of the Dark Heart

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 4: The Kindly One…

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, which belongs to J.K. Rowling, or W.I.T.C.H., which belongs to Disney and perhaps somebody else. This is based on the comic book version of W.I.T.C.H., not the cartoon version, or the kiddy book version. I ask any relatives reading this to never bring it up in my presence or I will cut you off from my will. That means my secret treasure will never see the light of day again! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA –_cough, wheeze_– Really need to get my throat seen to…

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Harry tried to keep his mind on the lesson as the teacher droned on. Sadly, it was not to be. History of magic was just _not_ worth remembering. Especially since, as the Dark Heart had taught him, 'history' immortalized only one view of what happened, regardless of the actual truth behind events.

Trying to ignore those dark thoughts, he thought of the current situation against Kandrakar. The girls hadn't tried to have a rematch with him yet, although it wasn't from lack of trying on Hay Lin's part. It had more to do with the arrival of the rogue ex-Guardian, Nerissa.

These days, the mental 'packets' he got from the girls contained bits about her. Surprisingly, this was one of the things where the girls knew more than he did. For all the Dark Heart's information, it only contained the knowledge of the past Keepers of the Dark Heart, and even then, there were limitations. The Dark Heart contained its whole history from its creation to now. However, given the length of time it's been around, to have one person know it all would have driven him mad. So it usually just sits there, waiting to be sorted through.

There were other limits. Although each Dark Heart Keeper had a link with the generation of Guardians he was to balance, what he learned from that link was generally not included in the Dark Heart's store. So there was no information in the Dark Heart about the previous Guardians themselves except when the Dark Keepers actually encountered them. If Daniel had encountered Nerissa, it was too hidden in the huge repository for Harry to find easily. Made harder was the fact that if a Dark Keeper repressed a memory, it wouldn't be found in the databanks.

And Daniel was repressing big time...

The way Harry figured it, there was only one thing to do.

He had to ask Daniel directly. Despite their trying to kill him a few months ago, he really cared about the girls. He doubted their parents knew more of the girl's personality then he did. Everything from Will's frog obsession to Cornelia's budding bi-curiosity and the fact flowers seemed to turn her on (she'd practically wet herself if she caught sight of a flower shop).

As a gentleman and a Gryffindor, there was no way he was letting some half-dead mummy hurt them!

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Harry looked up at the imposing building in front of him before going in. He'd never been here before, yet he'd known about this place for what felt like all his life. Still, he shivered as he passed though its front doors. If the people inside had any inkling about what was going through his head, he'd be staying here permanently.

It was with that happy thought that Harry entered the asylum.

Making his way to in without being noticed, he navigated the maze of hallways, stairs and doors, occasionally asking questions of vacuum cleaners, security cameras, and whatnot. It was sometimes useful to be able to talk with inanimate objects, although he thanked his lucky stars he wasn't like Will. Anything that had a single current of electricity passing through it would become sentient around her (and even if she wasn't around!), unlike him, where things only came to life if he _wanted_ them to. He didn't think he could _stand_ the way her computer and her printer nagged at each other.

Arriving at a certain door, he politely asked the lock to open up.

The lock to told him no.

Sighing, and remembering who it was he was dealing with, Harry knocked on the door tentatively.

"Come in," a clear, young voice said from inside.

_Now_ the lock undid itself. Harry carefully opened the door and went inside.

He was in the proverbial padded room. The only light came from an incandescent fixture located high up in the ceiling behind a thick sheet of safety glass. A video camera hummed in the corner. The rest of the room was completely clear.

A man was huddled in one corner of the room. He was old, very old, and looked like a neglected Gandalf. Long, straggly hair flowed from his head, and a think, unkempt beard grew down to his chest. His skin was pale, more than lack of sunlight could account for, and he trembled constantly, muttering the most pitiful things under his breath. His eyes were downcast and hooded, and he kept on banging his head against the wall behind him. His arms were secured by a straight jacket that looked a little too big for him, and drool trickled down his mouth.

For a moment, neither said anything. Harry eyed the security camera in a corner of the ceiling warily.

"It's alright," the old man said in a surprisingly clear and lucid voice with a mild Australian accent, the same voice that had ushered Harry in. "He's not recording anything right now, are you Bob?"

The camera moved from side to side as if shaking it's head. "No, Daniel," it said, sounding a bit like Johnny Five from the Short Circuit movies.

Taking a deep breath, Harry decided to plunge ahead. "Daniel Hall? We've never been formally introduced. My name is Harry Potter."

The 'old man' smiled sagely, nodding his head. "Of course you are, of course you are. Take off that thing you're wearing and have a seat, get comfortable. I'd offer you something to drink, but I'm afraid I don't have much at the moment."

Harry let his 'transformation' drop. Unlike the Guardians, he didn't _really_ need to transform to utilize the Dark Heart's true power. In fact, his 'transformation' was more for theatricality than anything else. The only reason it collapsed during his fight against the girls was from the magical backlash. Plopping down before Daniel, he smiled a lopsided smile at the 'old man'. "Your turn."

The old man smiled wryly, no longer looking so insane, and suddenly the old man was gone. Seated in his face was a person who looked like he was in his late teens, or at least his early twenties. Baby blue-eyes looked out of a too-pale face, framed by dead-white hair. Skin suddenly smooth, the albino easily took off the straight jacket as if it were nothing, and tossed it idly into one corner of the cell. Smiling broadly, Daniel held out his hand, and after a moment, Harry took it, noting how soft and smooth the skin was.

"Harry Potter," Daniel said, leaning back against the wall. "So _you're_ the new Keeper of the Dark Heart. I've known about you since you were born you know, but I honestly never thought we'd meet until yesterday. You know, even for Dark Heart Keepers, you're weird. All that power, and a wizard to boot! Astonishing!"

"Daniel…" Harry began, but Daniel cut him off.

"Oh, I know you're impatient, but I haven't been able to talk to anyone who wasn't wearing a white coat and thought I was crazy for years! Humor an old man and let me go on a bit," Daniel said. "Just think of me as a Dumbledore! That ought to help. Just another barmy old coot! Granted, better looking than others, but hey, what're you going to do, huh?"

Harry sighed. Daniel just laughed. "Oh, alright! What do yah need from an old man such as myself?"

"Help," Harry said, glad to be able to get to the point of his visit. "I need your experience. I need to know what you know about being a Keeper of the Dark Heart."

"Impatient, are ye'?" the older man said.

"Yes and no," Harry replied, trying to dance around the subject. "I just need to hear from someone else all the things that the Dark Heart's telling me about."

"What things?" Daniel said, playing with one of the cords around his neck.

"Well…" Harry thought. "The link, for one! I need to hear what it is with the link I have with the Guardians! You know, from someone that knows!"

Daniel chuckled, leaning on his side. "Well, it kind of goes something like this: you've got a link with _you're_ group of Guardians. Generally, if you're not concentrating, all you gets are little snippets, usually the most intense thing they're feeling or thinking. If they're really worked up, it's almost as good as you concentrating. When you _are_ concentrating, you can sort of see what they see, and hear what they hear, and all that, as if you're them. Which gets confusing since there're five of them."

"Are there any side-effects?" Harry asked, even as he thought over what he thought could be it.

Daniel grinned. "Well, there's this thing that happens once a month that tends to get women _really_ worked up. I suppose you know what I'm talking about?"

Harry shuddered. "I have a rough idea."

"Well, then I don't need to explain what it feels like. But you see, the thing about women is, if they stay together long enough, they have it all at the same time…" Daniel trailed off suggestively.

Harry eyes widened in horror. "Oh no…" he breathed.

Daniel nodded sagely. "Yup, all five going straight to your head. Really messes up a guy. You can keep expecting that 'til they're fifty or so. Longer, depending on how much power they have left."

Harry felt slightly sick. "Why doesn't the Dark Heart have info on this?" he asked a bit shrilly.

Daniel grinned. "The Heart doesn't pick up stuff like that. Must be because it was made by a woman."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh, joy! Not only do they want me dead, but I also have to share 'that special woman feeling' with them," Harry said sarcastically as Daniel laughed.

"Alright," the albino said as he wiped a tear from his eye. "Next?"

Harry paused a moment. "How does _our_ link work?" Harry asked hesitantly, as if not sure he should really be asking this.

Daniel frowned as he considered. "Well, it's pretty different from the link we share with the Guardians. Take me, for example. I've been 'linked' to you since you were born. I have a general idea of what your life's been like, but unlike with the Guardians, there aren't any side effects. The link is supposed to be that you know who your predecessor and, when he's born, who your successor is."

Harry tilted his head. "Well, you and the girls are the only ones in my head, so I guess my successor hasn't been born yet." Harry suddenly frowned. "Wait, that means that _you_ know who your predecessor was too…"

Even as Harry's mind was making Irma-esque leaps, Daniel was already shaking his head. "It won't do any good. He's dead."

That made Harry pause. "But how? Kin Xia practically makes us immortal. I could stop eating right now, and I'd still be alive in a year…"

For a moment, Daniels eyes darkened. "Kin Xia," he said bleakly. "If the Guardians have a Gift, does it make ours a Curse? At least _they_ can age. _They_ can die from being too old. What about us?"

For a moment, Harry's hand rose to where he wore the Dark Heart under his shirt. What _about_ them? The 'Curse' of Kin Xia was an even more effective regenerative agent than the Guardian's Gift of Xin Jing, but was there such a thing as too much life? Look at Daniel! Harry knew the man must be at least sixty, but he certainly didn't look like it.

"How…" Harry began, then stopped, tried again. "How did he…?"

"His name was Giles," Daniel said quietly. "It's probably in the Heart somewhere, but this is how it happened: about three hours after he felt me being born, he jumped head-first off a building and died on impact. He was about a hundred ten."

Harry's throat constricted. Images from the Dark Heart showed him who Giles was, a hook-nosed, sandy-haired individual who had the look of a scholar. "Why? Why did he wait for you to be born before he…"

"Killed himself?" Daniel finished, looking at him, and for a second, Harry was reminded of the pictures of Sirius Black. Those blue eyes held the same kind of haunted look. "Duty, I suppose. Maybe he felt that he needed to be sure there was going to be another Keeper of the Dark Heart before he could kill himself. Someone to keep the ole' legacy going. Who knows? I never got to ask him. All I know about him is from the Heart."

"You see, Harry," Daniel said, looking very solemn, "there's only two ways a Dark Keeper is going to go to that big club-house in the sky. You either get offed by Guardians, or you off yourself. In your case, maybe you can get offed by a Dark Wizard or something. Thing is, when you've got the Dark Heart, there's no easy way to go."

Harry stared at the man in front of him. "You're going to do it, aren't you? When?"

"The minute you leave," Daniel said simply.

Harry's eyes widened in horror. "But–"

"Harry, mate, shut up and listen," Daniel said quietly. "I've lived a long life. That's more than some folks get. Hasn't been the happiest, or the richest, or the best, but it was mine, and that's all I need. True, there're a few things I would have done differently, a few things I still need to do, but I don't really care anymore. I just want to close my eyes and not have to wake up tomorrow. Someday, you'll understand. If you live that long. And seeing all the things you've done, you will."

Harry compressed his lips, and decided he might as well get things over with. "What can you tell me about Nerissa?"

Daniel froze.

"She's one of yours, wasn't she? The Keeper of the Heart during your turn?" Harry pressed.

"Where did you get that name?" Daniel said hoarsely.

"She's back, Daniel," Harry said grimly. "She's back, and she plans to destroy Kandrakar! Now what can you tell me?"

For a moment, Daniel said nothing. His hand tightened convulsively around something under his white shirt. The one of the cords around his neck was taute. Harry suddenly became aware of the power building up in the room. He let out a startled gasp, backing away from Daniel instinctively as the power built up. Why hadn't he noticed before? How could he miss this much magic?

Harry's hand rose to the Dark Heart, and a comforting coolness suffused his hand as it phased through his shirt. Suddenly, he knew.

He stared at Daniels hand. It was gripping something that was fastened to a cord around his neck, something that was slowly oozing a thick, fine black mist that lowered the temperature of the room. Harry's eyes widened.

Daniel was holding the Dark Heart.

For a moment, neither spoke, though Harry readied a couple of blasts and a teleport in case he needed them. What was Daniel planning to do with so much power? Would he attack him? There had been times, if they were close enough, when Keepers of the Dark Heart had fought. The information when those happened was chaotic, so there was nothing concrete to base results on, but Harry could be fairly certain that big craters and wiped out civilizations could be one logical result. He thought there was something about how two of the moon's 'seas' had been caused by two Dark Keepers fighting.

"Relax," Daniel said hoarsely, startling Harry. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Harry relaxed about half a hair.

"Why do you want to know?" Daniel asked, looking him in the eye. The boy got the feeling not _all_ his predecessor's insanity was feigned.

"I want to stop her," Harry said simply. "Despite their trying to kill me, I happen to _like_ my Guardians."

"You want to save them?" Daniel said incredulously.

"Yes."

Daniel through back his head and laughed like a crazy person.

Harry sighed. "Look," he said, talking over the other man's laughter, "are you going to help me or not?"

Finally, Daniel calmed down. "They won't appreciate it, you know," he said. "Whatever you do, they'll still want to kill you."

"That's because they don't know the truth," Harry said intently.

Daniel just sniffed contemptuously.

Sigh. "Look, I need to know about Nerissa, okay? Please. Tell me."

Sigh. "Here," Daniel said. Breaking the cord of the Dark Heart around his neck, he held it out to Harry.

Harry shook his head. "No. I want to hear it from you."

Daniel's jaw clenched. "And what if I don't want to talk about it?"

"Then Nerissa kills again," Harry said, looking into his eyes intently. For a moment, they weren't Keepers of the Dark Heart. They were just two people trying to impose their stand.

Daniel looked away first, and gave a world-weary sigh. "Fine. What do you think you know?"

Harry's brow furrowed. "I know that Nerissa killed Cassidy after the Oracle gave the Heart of Kandrakar to her. And I know the Lin's seem to have a grudge against us. Since Hay Lin saw that home video about 'the last Keeper of the Dark Heart', I'll assume you know what _that's_ about."

Harry tilted his head as he looked at the pale figure before him. "What really happened?"

"Weren't you paying attention to the home movie?" Daniel said bitterly.

"Not really," Harry said. "Besides, we both know there's a difference between what people _think _happened, and what _really_ happened."

Daniel sighed again, closing his eyes. When he opened them, looking at Harry, Harry thought he looked every one of his years, although his young face never changed. "Alright. Alright. Might as well get it out. At least _someone_ should know the truth…"

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A long time ago, before the Guardians of today were even a gleam in their _grandparents' _eyes, there were five girls who were special. Their names were Halinor, Kadma, Yan Lin, Cassidy, and Nerissa. They were all good friends, until the fateful day when Nerissa, corrupted by the power of the Heart, slew Cassidy in an attempt to regain its power. She led her mercilessly into a trap and did away with her in one horrific blast. And for her crime, she was sentenced to an eternity in Mount Thanos, where she was to think on her crime for all time. That is what history records.

But what history does _not_ record are the events preceding this tragedy, as well as the truth behind history.

For every generation, there is a Keeper of the Dark Heart. And he must stand before the strength of Kandrakar, and maintain the balance of power, so that the worlds do not fall into oblivion…

This generation, the Keeper of the Dark Heart was Daniel Hall.

Daniel was born special. That was obvious the minute he came out. It had something to do with the fact that he looked like a bloody ghost.

Literally.

Thankfully, there were no superstitious hicks present at Daniel's birth. Dr. Loki and Dr. Puck, who were present at the birth, said that, despite appearances, he was a very healthy boy. His parents, Hector and Lyta, couldn't be prouder.

It is not necessary to know how Daniel grew up. Suffice to say, one day his parent had the very ill luck to have to move to the last place their son wanted to be.

In the same town as the Guardians of Kandrakar.

At first, Daniel tried to ignore the girls. And for most of the part, it was easy. Kadma was segregated from the others because of her skin color, Nerissa was a high-society princess, and Halinor was the local beauty. Very easy to avoid.

It was another stroke of ill luck that destroyed this blissful situation. Daniel had been walking down a lane, reading his book, when he collided rather abruptly with someone. When he looked, he was face to face with the purple-haired then-Guardian of Air, Yan Lin.

For Daniel, it was a portent of doom.

For Yan Lin, it was love at first sight.

Since it was 'the old days', Daniel, rather than obeying his instinct to turn around and run, helped Yan Lin to her feet and offered to take her to his house so his mother could get her cleaned up.

It all spiraled down from there, an inevitable corkscrew into oblivion. Daniel, despite himself, started liking spending time with Yan Lin, who was not one to keep her affections hidden. One thing led to another, and soon, Daniel had met Nerissa, with whom Yan Lin had a special bond, followed by the rest of the Guardians. For a moment, everything held. Then, like a house of cards in the wind, it all collapsed.

Nerissa, who was concerned about the young man with whom her friend had been spending her time, decided to follow him. Daniel did not know when his secret was revealed. In those hard times, he had to use his power often, if weakly, to secretly do what he could to help relieve the burden of others. It must have been at those times that Nerissa saw him. More important, she saw the power of the Dark Heart. And she realized that he held this power on his own, without needing to share with others. The seed had been planted, the darkness sown.

Why did Daniel never realize, never sense Nerissa's presence? None can say. Perhaps it is because of love, which can blind any eye, and shield the heart from things one does not want to know. It was never recorded in the Dark Heart.

Finally, Nerissa reported her revelations to the Council of Kandrakar, who were thrown into turmoil. The nature of the Dark Heart was made known to the then-Guardians, watering the dark seed inside Nerissa and causing it to grow roots. Her fate was set.

The Guardians were divided. Nerissa and Kadma believed that Daniel was deliberately manipulating Yan Lin in a bid to destroy the Guardians. Cassidy and Halinor, who had met the young man often, believed he genuinely cared about Yan Lin and did not know about her being a Guardian. Yan Lin, naturally, was torn.

Nonetheless, the Oracle gave the order to kill Daniel. Yan Lin refused to participate, steadfastly declaring Daniel's innocence.

A trap was set. Daniel was falsely told that Yan Lin wanted to go and see a movie with him. When he got there, however, she didn't come. He waited and waited. Finally, the four Guardians stepped out of the shadows…

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"Nerissa?" Daniel said, seeing the brunette seemingly step out of the darkness. "What are you doing here? Where's Yan Lin? I thought you said she'd meet me here?"

Nerissa smiled grimly. "I lied."

Hearing a sound behind him, Daniel turned. Stepping out of the other cardinal points were Cassidy, Kadma, and Halinor.

Daniel looked at Nerissa in confusion. "Nerissa, what's going on? Why'd you lie to me?"

Nerissa took a deep breath and suddenly, there was a burst of light and the four Guardians stood before him in their transformed states. Nerissa held the Heart of Kandrakar briefly before absorbing it back to herself. "Daniel Hall, we, the Guardians of Kandrakar, charge you of being the Keeper of the Dark Heart and are ordered to execu-"

That was as far as she got. With a growl, Daniel summoned the Dark Heart, and changed his appearance as well. He stood before them in loose white clothes, and his eyes became completely robin's-egg blue.

They saw all this for a split second before all hell broke loose.

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Unfortunately, as fate would have it, Yan Lin, suspicious of why none of her friends were home, paid a call to Daniel's mother. She was told that he had gone to their date, increasing Yan Lin's worry. Fearing the worst, she changed to her other form and flew to where Daniel's mother said he would be.

What she saw was burned into her mind forever…

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Daniel panted. Around him, it looked like a tornado hit. Many buildings had been leveled to the ground, and some spots were lower. Fires had broken out in some places, casting a flickering light.

There were only four bodies strewn around the battlefield. Daniel had had the foresight to send all bystanders away to… somewhere, leaving the five of them to do as they would.

The Guardians never had a chance.

Standing over an unconscious Nerissa, Daniel got ready to heal her and wipe her memory. It _had _to be in that order. Nerissa was _very_ bloody and bruised.

She'd taken the brunt of his anger. It had taken little telepathy to see that this had been _her_ idea, that it had been _her_ that was the cause of this. The others were a little roughed up, but relatively alright.

Kneeling over Nerissa, he was just finishing up the healing when he heard a sound behind him. Whirling, a ball of fire in his hand, Daniel turned towards its source.

Yan Lin stood there, a horrified look on her face.

Startled, Daniel let the flame dissipate, dropping his transformation in shock. The Dark Heart pulsed coolly against his chest. "Yan…? Yan, this isn't what it looks like, I can explain…!"

Since when have those words ever worked?

Yan Lin's fists shook, and she bowed her head, her eyes becoming shadowed. All she saw were her battered friends, and Nerissa covered with blood and laid down on the ground. "You…" she hissed shakily. "**You… **_**you **__** MONSTER!!!"**_

With a cry of rage, a twister struck Daniel, bearing him up into the sky. It sucked up the flames below, and for a moment, it was a whirlwind of fire. But when it stopped, however, Daniel was gone.

Yan Lin noted this absently as she rushed towards Nerissa. Even though Daniel had healed everything, she still looked a mess, covered with blood. Gently, Yan Lin wiped the blood of Nerissa's face. Tears sprung into her eyes as she realized she was the cause of this, that maybe if she hadn't ignored her friends suspicions, they wouldn't have been mauled like this. Clenching her fist around Nerissa's blood, she swore she wouldn't rest until Daniel had paid for what he'd done…

Yan Lin's heart jumped as she felt Nerissa stir. "Nerissa! Are you alright?"

Nerissa opened her eyes slightly. "So much power…"

Fate was sealed.

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It was a subdued group of Guardians who made their report to the Oracle. At the end of her report, the Oracle surprised everyone having Nerissa give Cassidy the Heart of Kandrakar. Only he knew what he was thinking when he did that. Perhaps if he had let Nerissa keep the Heart, nothing would have happened. Perhaps. As it was, jealousy burned in the former Keeper's heart as the Power of Water was given to her instead. The corruption of power inside of her became locked in its irreversible and inevitable course.

Jealousy burned as the Guardians, now with a very enthusiastic Yan Lin, try to plot a way to deal with the Keeper of the Dark Heart. Surprisingly, help comes from Daniel himself. For love is blind, and lovers cannot see, the petty follies that they themselves commit. Believing he could still explain to Yan Lin what happened, he sent her a message, asking her to meet him. It was the chance the Guardians needed.

When they appeared, Daniel was waiting with a small bouquet of flowers. They didn't wait. Yan Lin made the first move, using a twister once more. The fight became confused. Only it's tragic end would be immortalized, if not correctly.

It was Cassidy who finally trapped Daniel as he lay against a wall, tears flowing from his eyes. Even as Cassidy prepared to do it, Daniel begged her to kill him, and do it quickly. Cassidy, in a moment of weakness, asked him why.

Looking significantly at Yan Lin, Daniel only said, "I cannot bear to live."

Tears came to Cassidy's eyes as she realized they had been wrong all along. But the damage had been done.

As she prepared to perform an act of evil that would also be an act of mercy, Nerissa, driven mad by the power she had lost, slew Cassidy just as she tried to kill Daniel, at the moment when she was weakest. Daniel, seeing this intent, instinctively shielded himself from Cassidy's attack by stopping time. It was too late for Cassidy, however, for Nerissa had struck first.

In the eye-blinks between moments, in the infinity between times that did not move, Daniel caught Cassidy, who was already dying. Showing mercy to the one who would have shown him mercy a moment before, Daniel tried to save Cassidy's life, but Cassidy would have none of it. With her dying breath, Cassidy asked him to live, to live and perhaps heal the hole they had unwittingly made in his heart. Unable to refuse, Daniel could only swear, for as long as Yan Lin lived.

But even as Cassidy took her dying breaths in the eternity between seconds, Daniel would not allow himself to let Nerissa have this victory. Gathering the essence of what was Cassidy, he created a fitting memorial for the person whose kindness had shown through even in the last moments of her life, when most would have let darkness hold sway.

And thus was born the Star of Cassidy.

Systematically, he erased the memories she had left with others on Earth, from all except her friends, so they may honor her memory, and Nerissa, so she may know her crime, and gave them to her, so that she may have something to keep in memoriam. In that instance, Cassidy, for all intents and purposes, ceased to exist.

Returning to the moment, Daniel faked his death, leaving behind a body to be found. He removed his memory of existing from his parents and all who may remember him as well, save the Guardians, so they may believe they were victorious. And then he set off to fulfill his promise to Cassidy…

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Daniel finished his story, and there was silence.

"I'm sorry," Harry said quietly.

Daniel smiled, a small, serene smile. "Don't be."

With a veil of black mist and a burst of cold, the Dark Heart around Daniel's neck dissolved and joined the one Harry wore. "Stop Nerissa, Harry," Daniel said quietly. "Stop her, the way _I_ should have. Promise me."

Harry nodded. "I promise."

"And tell Yan Lin…" Daniel trailed off. "Tell Yan Lin…"

Harry patted his hand. "I promise."

Wearily, Harry stood up. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Daniel smiled in the same way as he got to his feet, his disguise as an old man returning even as Harry did the same. "Yan Lin is gone, Harry. And I deserve my peace."

Tears came to Harry's eyes as he held out his hand to Daniel. "It was an honor to know you, Daniel."

Daniel smiled, taking it in his own. It was old, leathery and wrinkled. "Kandrakar will always hate us, Harry. At least, that's what we've always believed. Prove that what _we've_ always believed can be wrong too. Good bye."

Turning around, Harry left the house of madness…

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Harry stood on a hill overlooking the building, waiting for what he knew would eventually come. It had been going on for hours, and Daniel had had to live through every excruciating moment of it.

Finally, Harry was alone in his own mind, alone with only the minds of five girls for company. Wiping the tears that had long stopped flowing from his eyes and offering up a prayer for Daniel's soul, Harry left, knowing that, like Nerissa, _his _course was set as well. There would be no turning back…

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**- To be continued...**

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A/N: Not sure if asylums look like that these days, but I'm basing this off Batman episodes where they show the inside of Arkham Asylum.

Kadma is kept young looking by a small remnant of the Gift of Xin Jing.

How is the Dark Heart able to exist in multiple places with multiple people at the same time? Magic...

Another _**Sandman**_reference. Can you spot it?

Why doesn't anyone remember the big mess Daniel caused? Well, can you say '_mind wipe_'? I knew you could…

For those who read W.I.T.C.H., that was my take on why Nerissa went corrupt. Obviously, the Oracle knew _somehow_ about Nerissa's corruption, and gave Cassidy the Heart as a preventive measure. However, in the comics, I never found the reason to be really sufficient, since they still allowed her to be a Guardian. By having her give up the Heart right after her defeat from Daniel, I add a bigger blow to her pride, as she is getting the silent message she's too weak to be the Keeper of the Heart. That was what pushes her to murder. She became corrupted by power when she saw Daniel had the use of something with equal the Heart's strength, but didn't need to share it with anyone else. Also, it was never really clear _why_ and how the Star of Cassidy (the star itself, not the Heart of Kandrakar-clone) was created. They also said that Cassidy was erased from existence. This is just me filling in some plot-holes.

To **Ran Hoshino: **How's _that_ for a side effect?

To **Exarikun: **check my little omake…

To **JuMiKu: **yeah, points of view is a concept I'm trying to explore in this fic…

To **Sarah R Potter: **someday, probably…

To **wizardmon92: **that's alright, as long as you liked it…

To **Blue Werewolf Boy: **coming up!

To **Demented Chook: **thanks for the word.

To **deadly-anger: **Eventually, although Harry's probably going to have bigger snakes to worry about… –_secretive smile_–

To **Dumbledork: **you're welcome.

To **kinguofdoragons: **yeah…

To **The Red Dragons Order: **Actually, it's from _**The Sandman**_. Not really thinking of putting Voldie in this story yet, although other snakes will pop up –_secretive smile_– how's your _**HP**_/_**Naruto **_fic coming along? Really looking forward to the next chap.

Please review, C&C welcome. Flames will… uh, be used to burn CD's! Yeah, that's right…

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**"W.I.T.C.H. Special 1: Closure?"**

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Will deliberately didn't look at Cornelia as they left their class. The Keeper of the Heart was a mess. Her hair was straggly, she had obviously not been getting enough sleep, her clothes were wrinkled and looked like she'd forgotten to take a bath that morning. Of course, if you were as stressed out as she was, you would too.

More than Nerissa, more than Matt, more than Caleb's condition, what really plagued her mind was what had happened between her and Cornelia during their fight with Morpheus. In her mind, she had somehow constructed it to be her fault. If she'd been stronger, if she'd resisted, she wouldn't have done that to Cornelia. To **CORNELIA**, of all people!!!

Slipping into the crowd, she tried to stay low, hoping her friend wouldn't see her.

Someone above obviously didn't like her.

"WILL!" Cornelia yelled behind her. "WAIT!"

Will ran for it.

She thought she was about to loose her in the park when Will suddenly tripped, loosing her hold on her bag and falling face down on the dirt, which was surprisingly softer than she thought. She wasn't hurt at all.

Looking down at her feet, Will saw the reason for her fall from grace. Vines were wrapped around her legs, courtesy of Cornelia's power.

Said Guardian was panting up to her even as she tried to pry the vines off. "Will, will you quit avoiding me?" Cornelia panted. "We need to talk."

Surrendering to the inevitable, Will waited patiently as Cornelia undid the vines and led her off towards a secluded spot. Will avoided her eyes. How do you apologize to someone for doing…_that_ to them? Were apologies even allowed?

"Will, would you at least _look _at me?" Cornelia said, sounding exasperated. Hesitantly, Will looks up, meeting Cornelia's eyes, before flinching away.

Cornelia lets out an annoyed sigh. "Will, is this about you kissing me?" she asked, sounding mildly annoyed. Will flinched.

There. It was out in the open. Before she could stop herself, her mouth was going a mile a minute without her in the driver's seat.

"Cornelia, I'm sorry for what I did to you, I feel horrible about it, I'm really sorry, I don't know if you could ever forgive me, not that you would after what I did, but I want you to know I'm _really_ sorry, and -" Will blabbered.

Cornelia cut her off. "Will, you don't have to apologize."

Will blinked. That had been the last thing she had been expecting. "I don't?"

Cornelia rolled her eyes. "Do I look mad?"

"No."

"Have I been treating you in a way that said you needed to apologize to me?"

"N-no."

"Did I complain about being kissed?"

Will blushed. Cornelia wore a rather smug look, but she was slightly pink herself. "Answer the question, Vandom."

"N-n-no."

"Then why do you think you need to apologize?"

"Because I _kissed_ you, Cornelia!" Will exploded, wondering why her friend didn't get it. It was perfectly clear to _her_.

"So? Why would I be mad about that? Besides, you're a pretty good kisser," Cornelia said, pinking again.

_That _threw Will for a loop. "Wh-huh?"

Now it was Cornelia who avoided looking at her. "Seriously, you're a pretty good kisser. Matt's lucky to have you."

Sighing at the look on Will's face, Cornelia laid a hand on her shoulder, and Will tried not to pull back. "Look, Will, it wasn't your fault. It was Morpheus who forced you to do that, and we should just count ourselves lucky he didn't have you do worse. So get over it, okay? The team needs you. Okay?"

Will still looked troubled, however. "But, Cornelia-"

Sighing again, Cornelia had a sudden idea. She smiled, and Will completely missed the look in her eyes. "Look, if you really want to apologize, do me a favor, okay?"

"O-okay," Will said hesitantly.

"Close your eyes and what ever happens, put your back into it," Cornelia said, her smile threatening to turn into something else.

Will wondered what she meant by that, closing her eyes and doing as instructed.

The next thing she knew, a pair of soft lips were on hers, lips she recognized even though she'd only felt them once before, in a moment where she hadn't really been herself. She tried to pull back as her eyes shot opened, but Cornelia's hand had moved to the back of her head, and her other hand was wrapped securely against the small of her back. Vaguely, she remembered that had been the same way she had held Cornelia when-

Suddenly, Will remembered what Cornelia had said, and her mind boggled, even as she felt her face (along with the rest of her) go redder than her hair. At that moment, Cornelia broke the kiss momentarily, and Will heard her mutter, "You're not putting your back into it," before the blonde took a breath and kissed her again.

Hesitantly, Will closed her eyes and started kissing back, and immediately, a moan of pleasure erupted from the back of Cornelia's throat as Will slowly raised her hands to the same positions she'd had them all those weeks ago. Will closed her eyes, not knowing what else to do, and they nearly shot open again when she felt Cornelia's tongue lick her lips before pushing their way in…

A couple of eternities later, the two girls pulled back, breathing hard and very flushed.

"Wow," Cornelia said. "Matt is a _very_ lucky guy."

Will said nothing, leaning against the taller girl for support as she felt her knees threatening to give way.

Chuckling slightly, Cornelia stroked the shorter girl's hair. "Okay, we're even."

"We are?" Will breathed raggedly.

"Yup," Cornelia said. "So if you think I'm ever mad at you, just kiss me and we'll forget about it."

Will blushed redder than she already was, which shouldn't have been humanly possible.

"This doesn't mean I like you that way, okay?" Cornelia suddenly said. "I still love Caleb."

Will finally looked at her. "Then why…?"

Cornelia smiled. "Because you're _really_ good, and I needed a couple of pointers from the best."

"Th-thanks," Will managed to choke out. Really, what _could _ she say?

Cornelia got a speculative look in their eye as Will picked up her stuff. "So. Wanna do this again some time?"

Will dropped her bag as the blonde started to laugh at the look on her face…

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**"End Special"**

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The kiss is just a throwaway joke. Seriously. Don't get too attached.

Until next time, this is Shadow, signing off.

Pray that my muse lets me get back to CCH…


	5. Dark Heart vs Dark Keeper

A/N: And now, there is only one Keeper of the Dark Heart left…

Starting now, I am messing with W.I.T.C.H. canon. More than I already was, I mean…

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Harry Potter: Keeper of the Dark Heart

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 5: Keeper of the Dark Heart vs. Dark Keeper of the Heart!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, which belongs to J.K. Rowling, or W.I.T.C.H., which belongs to Disney and maybe someone else. This is based on the comic book version of W.I.T.C.H., not the cartoon version, or the kiddy book version. I ask any relatives reading this to never bring it up in my presence or I will cut you off from my will. Then again, most of you are richer than me, so I don't think that's much of a threat.

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Harry stood by calmly as he assessed the situation. Nerissa had the Heart of Kandrakar, one of the two most powerful sources of magical energy in the multiverse. The W.I.T.C.H. girls had the Star of Cassidy, which was a pale remnant of the Heart, but still effective, in its way. He figured that they'd _probably_ find a way out of this situation, but the Gryffindor in him just wouldn't let them go through this alone. Besides, he'd made a promise to Daniel.

Staying out of sight of all those in their ethereal shields, Harry strode towards what had once been the Fortress of Kandrakar. The evil and darkness Nerissa had released from the Heart of Kandrakar had coated the once-shining walls with a thick layer of sludge-like material. Gripping the Dark Heart in one hand, letting it's cold suffuse him, Harry closed his eyes and began…

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Sweat beaded Will's eyes as she and Nerissa struggled for the Heart of Kandrakar. Now that the Star of Cassidy had fused with the Heart, Will now had a chance to take it back. She struggled, yet the Heart remained suspended between her and Nerissa.

Something caught her eyes, which widened as the thing came into focus. Around her, the darkness Nerissa had released was slowly disappearing, leaving behind the pristine, white walls of Kandrakar. In front of her, she saw Nerissa had gone slack-jawed with surprise, but Will was too out-of-it to take advantage of the moment.

"Way to go, Will!" Irma yelled out.

"It's not me!" Will said, her focus returning to the Heart in time to keep it from flying to Nerissa's hand.

A nasty smile was on the former Guardian's face. Well, nastier than usual. "So, it seems that the Council managed to pull something other than a stick from their asses. It won't matter. Once I deal with you, I'll be able to make sure they don't pull something like that again!"

Will was about to reply to that with something Usagi Tsukino-esque– loved that show; can't get enough of it– when a flash of black caught her eye, jarring against the now almost-pure white of Kandrakar's walls. Her eyes went wide at what she saw, and her precious focus and concentration slipped for one second.

With a victorious cry, Nerissa drew the Heart of Kandrakar into her hand. On contact with her skin, the crystal darkened turning back into it's darker incarnation, and the girls screamed as their transformations collapsed. Will plummeted to the ground, no longer held aloft by the Heart's power. Caleb barely managed to catch her as she fell.

"Will, what happened?" Caleb asked.

Will shook. "Morpheus…" she muttered, barely getting the words out.

"What?" Caleb said as the other girls came to crowd around.

Shakily, Will tried again. "Morpheus… He's HERE!"

Hay Lin grit her teeth, her eyes narrowing, even as the other girls forgot where they were, and the danger they were in.

"How nice of you to get together and make one big target," Nerissa said as she drifted gently down, her Knights of Revenge forming behind her. She raised a glowing staff as the other gripped the Heart of Kandrakar. "Very thoughtful. Makes it easier to send you all to oblivion. Oh, where are my manners. Thank you."

A blast of dark energy hit from the side, sending her tumbling head over heals and slamming her into one of Kandrakar's walls.

Morpheus stepped out of some shadows that Will swore hadn't been there a moment before. "You're welcome."

Will's blood froze in her veins as Caleb tried to help her up, but she was gripping his arm too hard. Just when they thought things couldn't get any worse.

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Harry stepped forward, trying to keep Nerissa, her Knights, and the Guardians in sight at the same time. He barely kept his cheeks from flushing brightly as he laid eyes on Will and Cornelia. He'd blushed himself crazy for hours after he'd made them kiss. It had just been his dumb luck that he'd tried to look in on them just as Cornelia had tricked Will into giving her another one. Afterwards, Hermione kept worrying he was coming down with something, since he was red the whole day, and most of the next. Seeing it in person had been one thing, but being in the minds of both participants…!

Harry gave himself a mental headshake as he advanced on Nerissa. Two girls making out was _not_ what he should be thinking about no-

Harry gave himself another mental headshake. Back to business!!!

"Nerissa, I presume?" Harry said, struggling to keep his voice casual, trying to stick to the image and persona he'd built for the guise he was in.

The ex-Guardian was struggling to her feet. Shagon made to help her up, but she brushed his hands away. "Who dares…!"

"I do," Harry said. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Morpheus"

Nerissa's eyes narrowed as she looked at him, obviously unsure of what to make of his behavior.

"Not a very good day for Kandrakar, is it?" Harry said idly, turning away from Nerissa and making a show of looking around. "It's not every day a fallen Keeper of the Heart shows up."

"**WHAT DO YOU WANT, ****YOU **_**MONSTER?**__**"**_Hay Lin yelled.

As Nerissa turned towards her in anger, Harry said, "Don't mind her, she means me."

Nerissa paused, then turned towards Harry. "The brat has a point. What _do _you want?"

Harry clasped his hands behind his back. "Oh, just on a little errand. I made a few promises to a friend about how I'd take care of a few loose ends he left behind, give messages to people, that sort of stuff. In fact, one of the messages is for you."

Nerissa's eyes narrowed. "Really? And what was the point of blasting me, if you had a message to deliver?"

"Oh, that was just to get your attention," Harry said, sounding off-hand. Nerissa smirked.

"What's the message?" Nerissa said, even as Harry felt a buildup of energy in the hand behind her back.

"The message is from Daniel Hall," Harry said, trying to keep his teeth from gritting. As Nerissa's eyes widened in astonishment in recognition of the name, Harry raised his hand and pointed it right at her. "His message is: 'Die, Nerissa!'"

A blast of cold, dark energy lanced towards her, but Shagon jumped in front of it, getting knocked back a little, but growing slightly as well. Harry frowned. He'd meant not to be hateful as he blasted, but apparently his feelings towards Nerissa weren't that neutral. From what he'd heard from Daniel, he couldn't _help_ but hate her guts!

Growling, Harry charged both his hands with energy…

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The Guardians watched as Morpheus charged towards Nerissa's Knights.

"Okay, I'm confused," Irma said. "Isn't this guy supposed to be evil?"

"He _**IS**_evil!" Hay Lin said. "Never forget that!"

"But the guy just kept Nerissa from toasting us," Irma said.

"Um, excuse me, but what's going on?" Caleb asked.

The girls look at each other, before the four look at Cornelia. "You tell him! He's _your _boyfriend!" they chorused.

As Cornelia started filling him in, Will watched Morpheus stand his ground as Ember and Tridart attacked. Waiting until the last second, Morpheus sent a whirlwind at Ember, blasting her away even as he shot a dark beam at Tridart while jumping to one side to avoid the behemoth's charge. Tridart stumbled, trying to get up, but a thick layer of dark-hued ice slowly rose to engulf him, rendering him immobile.

Khor growled as he jumped at Morpheus' exposed back, bearing him to the ground, but the Dark Heart Keeper was quicker, knocking the beast-man off with a blast of air, before hitting him with a spin-kick from a darkly glowing foot. The blow knocked the purple being into the nearby wall, rendering him unconscious.

Morpheus dodged just in time to avoid a blast from Nerissa's staff, which ripped apart the ground where he was standing. Her next blast was caught on a darkly glowing shield he conjured, redirecting the blast at a tottering Ember, who was blown back again.

"Morpheus versus Nerissa," Taranee said. "I'm not sure who I want to win."

"Maybe if we're lucky, they'll finish each other off," Hay Lin said darkly.

"Are we ever that lucky?" Irma said.

"No."

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Harry breathed a quick sigh of relief as he finally managed to bind Shagon. It wasn't easy, but he finally managed it with a liberal mixture of wind, ice and lightning. Ember and Khor were similarly incarcerated, the former femme-form being encased in rock while the latter was encased in ice.

The breath was knocked out of him as Nerissa struck him from behind, sending him tumbling. Turning his tumble into a roll, he managed to get back on his feet as he conjured another shield to block Nerissa, thankful for the armor plating he'd put on himself midway through the fight. Somehow, they'd managed to end up in the middle of the Council chambers, where the Council members were trying their darnest to keep as far away from them as possible. The Guardians were crowded around Yan Lin, who looked like she didn't know who to keep looking at.

"I'd surrender if I were you, Nerissa," Harry said, as he blocked yet another blast from her and countered with his own ice. Somehow, after using the Dark Heart so long, using ice seemed strangely appropriate. "You won't win."

"**NEVER!**" Nerissa screamed. "I will defeat you! Nothing is more powerful than the Heart of Kandrakar!"

"Yes, there is, Nerissa," Harry said, blocking her random, angry blasts as he summoned the Dark Heart to his hand. It pulsed, feeling colder than ice, beating in counterpoint with the crystal Nerissa held. Taking advantage of the split-second calm, he pointed the Dark Heart straight at her, praying that he'd thought this through properly. If he was right, it was safe to bring out the Dark Heart in the Heart of Kandrakar's presence. Nerissa's corruption of the Heart's power made it less of a direct opposite to the Dark Heart, so the two's energies wouldn't fatally interact. If he was wrong… Harry thought back to all the Guardians and Dark Keepers who'd been annihilated together. "Feel the power of the Dark Heart!" he said as a stygian blast of pure power from the Dark Heart struck her full on in the chest.

Nerissa cried out as she was struck, the force knocking her back. For a moment, she barely managed to stay on her feet, clinging to her staff for support.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Harry said, as her eyes locked on to the crystal in his hands. "The very thing that set you on your path is going to end it."

Behind him, he heard Hay Lin muttering something, and used his telepathy to pick it up. "There's a difference between the two of us, Hay Lin," he responded to her barely-audible question. "I control the Dark Heart's power. It's power doesn't control me." There was a pause. "Well, okay, maybe a little."

"There's nothing different about you two!" Hay Lin yelled, despite the attempts of those around her to get her to shut up. "You're both evil and want to kill us all!"

"If that's your opinion, young one, then I'll oblige you," Nerissa said. Before anyone could react, she aimed her staff at Hay Lin, and fired.

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Hay Lin felt herself freeze on the spot as Nerissa sent the energy blast hurtling towards her. Around her, Council members scrambled to get out of the way, even as her friends tried to pull her out of the line of fire. She was stuck to her spot, however, seemingly glued. Idly, she thought that, despite it usually _Irma_ who had a big mouth, _she_ was the one about to get them all killed because she'd shot hers off…

A black blur suddenly appeared in front of her, and the blast struck the shield Morpheus created. It's force was such that it managed to punch through the hastily erected barrier, striking Morpheus in the chest and causing him to fall to his knees, wheezing.

"I don't think so," Morpheus managed to breath out as he got shakily back to his feet. "Despite what this girl keeps saying about me, I'm not letting you kill her. Besides," he said, turning and flashing a smile in Hay Lin's direction, "she's cute."

Nerissa sniffed. "Then die together!" she said, launching a beam of pure energy from the Heart of Kandrakar.

Raising the Dark Heart, Morpheus countered with his own beam. "Stay behind me!" he said as the two beams met in mid-air. A sound like bombs going off emanated from where the beams met, and wind began to pick up, swirling around the chamber.

Hay Lin stared at the person standing in front of her in shock.

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To Harry, the Dark Heart felt so cold, colder than any time he'd held it before. He wasn't sure for how long he could keep this battle of wills up. Already, he felt the energy in the air reaching dangerous levels as minute quantities of the Heart of Kandrakar's power escaped from the Heart, free of the corruption.

"WHY?" he heard Nerissa yell, felt the question being repeated in the minds of the Guardians behind him. "Why do you protect them? You are a Keeper of the Dark Heart! An enemy of Kandrakar! Why would you protect Guardians?"

"Just because you got your head handed to you by a Dark Keeper once doesn't mean you know everything there is to know about us!" Harry retorted. "And in my opinion, Daniel didn't give you half of what you deserved."

Harry grit his teeth in anger. "_You_ lured him into a trap! _You_ used his feelings as a way to kill him! _You_ tried to kill him even though he hadn't done anything against you, or the Guardians, or Kandrakar! Daniel Hall was a good man, but you couldn't see that, could you? All you saw was that he could use the Dark Heart without needing to share it's power with anyone! The worst crime he could be accused of was creating _you_!"

The beam under Harry's hands grew stronger as he ranted, oblivious to the Guardians looking at him from behind. "Now you're back, and you haven't changed a bit! Still the spoiled little princess with her _precious_ flute! Still trying to have what isn't good for you! The Oracle was trying to do you a favor when he took the Heart from you, Nerissa! He was hoping you could avoid this fate! But you just couldn't let things lie, could you? You had to have the Heart!"

Harry looked at the Guardians behind him. "You know how Cassidy died, right? But do you know how the Star of Cassidy was born? I'll tell you. _Daniel _made it. _Daniel_, the last Dark Keeper before me, rest his soul, made it, to preserve Cassidy's essence, so that Nerissa here wouldn't be able to have the last laugh. _He's_ the reason why there's a Star of Cassidy in the first place. _He's_ the one you have to thank for the Star that brought you here."

Ignoring their shocked looks and sputters of protest, he turned back to Nerissa. "Never mind if you don't believe me! Ask Cassidy later! You see, Nerissa, just because someone is the Keeper of the Dark Heart doesn't automatically mean they're evil, just as being Keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar automatically means you're good. Just look at us!"

Harry's beam pushed Nerissa's back a little, and the ex-Guardian looked alarmed. "I made some promises to Daniel before he died, Nerissa. One of them was about you. He made you, even though he didn't know it. He could have stopped you from killing Cassidy, stopped you and kept all this from happening. But he didn't. He was too busy wallowing in the pool of self-pity _you_ managed to put him in. But I promised him I'd make things right. I promised him I'd fix his mistake! And I always keep my promises!"

Harry's smile became snarl-like, and it wasn't an act. "**Feel the power of the ****DARK HEART, NERISSA!!! FEEL IT **_**ALL!!!"**_

Multiple beams of darkness broke off from Harry's main blast, arcing over and around Nerissa's and hitting her from all angles. Nerissa screamed, losing her concentration and control over her beam, and Harry's main beam hit her dead on, knocking into and through a wall in one easy motion. Harry shot forward instantly, flying through the air at speeds that the human body wasn't made for, his hand reaching out…

He grabbed the Heart of Kandrakar from Nerissa's open hand, and instantly back flipped, arcing high above his original course as Nerissa's scream of _**"NO!!!"**_ echoed behind him. Harry felt power leaving Nerissa's body and she began to age before their very eyes. Her skinned browned and wrinkled as her hair became gray and thin, her bony hands clutching her staff for support.

She screamed again as Harry thrust his hand into her heart. Light shown through as Harry tried to grab onto what he was looking fair, even as his hand burned from holding the Heart of Kandrakar. He grit his teeth to keep from crying out in pain, aware he could be annihilated at any moment. Inside him, the Dark Heart gripped him in cold, colder than anything the Dementors could bring, pulsing counter to the beating of the Heart he held in his hand.

Grasping what he sought, he ripped it out of Nerissa, who screamed once more. The air positively _rippled_ with energy as Nerissa tried to save herself by drawing as much of _her _power as she could to herself. Harry released the bonds he'd made to hold the Knights of Revenge, knowing that as Nerissa took the power she'd put into them, they would become harmless.

In his hand, the Heart of Kandrakar pulsed once, and suddenly, it wasn't hot like before. Instead, it was warm, comforting. It felt like being enfolded by a nice blanket during a chilly day. A second pulse, and Harry's eyebrow rose at the message that came to his mind, before smirking.

"Cassidy would like to say something before you go," Harry said, opening his hand palm up and pointing the Heart of Kandrakar at Nerissa. "She says she never really liked you. Bitch."

A violent pink blast emerged from the Heart of Kandrakar and Nerissa's mouth opened for one last soundless scream as she was vaporized, her body consumed by pure energy…

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A small cheer rose among the Council of Kandrakar as Nerissa was consumed, but it was short-lived. All fell silent as the Dark Keeper known as Morpheus approached, his hands empty. Silently, he strode towards one the Council members, who stood her ground. The Guardians and Caleb made to stand in front of her, but she waved them aside, eyes not wavering from the Dark Keeper before her.

"Former Guardian Yan Lin?" Morpheus said as he came to a stop in front of her, ignoring the current Guardians giving him frightened or dirty looks.

She inclined her head slightly, face neutral. "Yes?"

"I have a message to deliver to you," Morpheus said, pausing. "From Daniel Hall."

Yan Lin's heart clenched as she heard those words. "What is the message?"

Morpheus raised his hand, and a simple bouquet of three white flowers appeared. He handed them to her. "The message is: 'I'm sorry we couldn't have our date. I really wanted to see a movie with you.'"

Yan Lin's aged hands tightened slightly at those words. "Is that all?" she asked, her voice slightly shaky.

Morpheus nodded. "Yes," he said, searching his eyes with his own starry ones. She did not shiver. He made to turn away, then paused. "He really did love you, you know. What you saw that night was a grave misunderstanding. No matter what anyone says, he loved you with all his heart. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks. It's the truth."

Smiling slightly for the first time since darkness arrived in Kandrakar, Yan Lin nodded. And a decades-old wound in her heart finally started to heal…

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Harry allowed himself a smile as he felt Yan Lin's mind finally rest easy. Around her, everyone else was confused, but that was alright. The message wasn't for them anyway.

Moving away from Yan Lin and the Guardians, who where giving him weird looks- he was very surprised Irma hadn't blurted out anything yet- he made his way towards the Oracle, ignoring the bearded Council-member who placed himself protectively between them. Tibor, he gathered the man's name was.

Moving as close as he dared, he bowed respectfully to the Oracle, saying, "I offer my respects to the lord of Kandrakar," sounding as reverent as he claimed to be.

Harry couldn't help his lip from twitching as he heard the storm of mutters- as well as the "_**WHAT THE HECK?**_" from Irma- his little speech caused.

"You are brave to venture here, Dark Keeper," the Oracle said in his usual serene voice, and Harry had to admire his self-control. Even though he wasn't using his telepathy, he could tell the guy was scared. "What would you say if I were to tell you that I could destroy you now as you stand before me?"

Harry allowed himself to smile. "I'd say you were lying. You didn't have the means to slay Nerissa, who was more of a direct threat to this fortress than I am, so how can you slay me?"

"Besides," Harry said, raising his hand and opening it in front of him, "I have the Heart of Kandrakar. What weapon do you posses that can hope to defeat it?"

Cries broke out at this announcement, and even the Oracle paled slightly. Well, paler than he usually was, anyway.

"Impossible!" Tibor said, staring at Harry with pure horror in his eyes. "How is it _you_ have the Heart? Nerissa was mad, but not mad enough to just hand it over to you!"

"True, true," Harry said, nodding along as his hand closed once more upon the magical artifact. "Had I been anybody else, I would _not_ have been able to lay my hands on the Heart without Nerissa voluntarily giving it to me. But I am _not_ anybody else." Harry grinned. "Being a Dark Keeper has its perks. Few and far between, sure, but they're there. Other people have to have the Heart of Kandrakar handed to them voluntarily. _We_, however, have to _take_ it. It's the only way for us."

Behind him, he heard the Guardians inching closer, felt their powers building up as they prepared to do something rash. He sighed.

"You girls realize I know you're back there and what you're putting together wouldn't so much as give me a bruise, right?" he said without turning around. He felt their thoughts pause as they tried frantically to think of something else.

Surprisingly, it was Yan Lin who spoke next. "Now, girls, don't pester the nice man while he's talking to the Oracle," she said in an 'old lady' voice, and Harry got the weird feeling she was on his side, a feeling that was confirmed when he chanced to look over his shoulder and saw her wink at him.

"Grandma…?" Hay Lin said, obviously wondering whether her grandmother had lost her mind.

"Now, now," Yan Lin said. "Let's hear what he has to say."

Nodding gratefully in her direction, Harry turned back to address the Oracle. "When my predecessor died, I made certain promises regarding Kandrakar. I promised him that I would do my best to ensure that you and your people no longer harass myself or my successors. I am here to keep that promise."

Harry saw the Oracle grit his teeth ever so slightly before he spoke next. "You mean to destroy Kandrakar?"

The way he said it made it sound like it wasn't really a question.

Harry shook his head no, startling everyone. "No. I am here to negotiate a peace. I am here to seek an alliance between Kandrakar and the Keepers of the Dark Heart."

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…………………

Dead silence followed this announcement as everyone tried to understand, tried to wrap their brains around this concept.

Irma, predictably, spoke first. "You want to _ally_ yourself with Kandrakar?" she said shrilly.

Morpheus nodded, causing various cries of outrage, indignation, and outright fear to spread through the Council, which was hushed almost immediately when Morpheus started to speak again. "For as long as Kandrakar views the Dark Heart and it's Keepers as enemies, the disaster the befell my predecessor will continue to perpetuate itself. I don't want that to happen! I don't want any more hearts to be broken just because one is a Guardian and the other is the Keeper of the Dark Heart! And, on a personal note, I _really_ don't want to have to keep looking over my shoulder and waiting for Will and her friends to end my already difficult existence."

"Why should we trust you?" Will said, and tried not to flinch as Morpheus turned to look at her.

"A good question," he said, striding towards the Guardians, only to stop as Caleb stood in his way. "I offer this as a token of good will."

Morpheus opened his other hand and a shimmering, multi-colored sphere of light appeared in front of Caleb. Yan Lin's eyes widened.

"Is that…?" Tibor said, only to be shushed by the Oracle.

Morpheus nodded as he held out the object to Cornelia, who was looking at it in fear. Will thought he heard a sigh before Morpheus spoke again. "Caleb's auramere, containing his copy of the five Powers. I took it from Nerissa just before she had to… leave."

Not waiting for a response, Morpheus dropped it in front of Cornelia, whose hands rose quickly to catch it. It rested in her palms, glowing radiantly with a soft light. "Your girlfriend can hold on to it for now."

He turned back to the Oracle. "It didn't seen right not kill Nerissa without taking this out to return to its proper owner."

Before the Oracle could respond, one of the Council members in the very back yelled, "That isn't enough to redeem you and your kind! All of you are monsters, murderers and conquerors. And you ask Kandrakar to ally itself with you?"

Morpheus turned towards the Council member, who eep-ed and tried to hide behind his neighbor. Will disapprovingly thought, "coward", and was surprised to hear Morpheus repeat the same thing under his breath, albeit with a tone suggesting amusement.

"You only say that because you don't know the truth," Morpheus said, crossing his arms. "Judging me by the actions of those people would be like judging the Guardians here," he nodded in their direction, "by the actions of Nerissa. Tell me, besides myself, how many Keepers of the Dark Heart do you think have ever existed?"

The Oracle paused, then recited a figure that sent Morpheus laughing his head off.

When he finally calmed down, knuckling a tear from his eye, he said, "And how many groups of Guardians since Xin Jing has there been?"

The Oracle smiled serenely, seemingly not insulted by Morpheus sudden outburst. Will herself didn't see what was so funny. "There have been many Guardians since Xin Jing, so many that we have lost count of their number. The Guardians have been more numerous than the stars in the skies of all the worlds under Kandrakar's protection."

Morpheus smiled. "And what if I told you that for every group of Guardians, there has been a Keeper of the Dark Heart?"

Dead silence.

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Harry was able to 'see' the near-complete history of Kandrakar during the fifteen seconds that no one said a word.

"…say that again?" Will said.

"There's been a Keeper of the Dark Heart for every group of Guardians ever to exist," Harry repeated patiently.

"Yeah, that's what it thought you said," Will said, nodding.

"That's not possible…" the Oracle said.

"On the contrary, it's _very _possible," Harry said. "In fact, it's necessary."

Opening his hand, Harry summoned the Heart of Kandrakar back into existence. "Heart of Kandrakar is pure energy, and one of the most powerful sources of magic in the multiverse. Enough for Kandrakar to build itself around it. It's power is based on magic that was ancient when Xin Jing was young: on the power of truth, of justice, of self-sacrifice. But the Heart's power is incomplete."

Harry had no idea how he was keeping the two Hearts from annihilating everything around him, him included. Having the Dark Heart inside him helped, yet just _touching_ the Heart of Kandrakar should be causing energy to build up, at least a little. And it was. It was just going so slowly…

Another pulse from the Heart of Kandrakar, and he suddenly understood. And he smiled as an idea came to him. He filed it for later, getting on with his 'lecture'.

"As powerful as the Heart of Kandrakar is, in its creation, it lacked the most powerful, most ancient magic of all," Harry said, knowing he had their attention. "It was a power Xin Jing could not use, since it had been lost to her only the night before. With it, I am sure the Heart would have become even more powerful. And dangerously so."

Harry paused, knowing he had their attention. "Who can tell me the story of Heian Jing Kin Xia?"

A murmur arose from those assembled at these words.

"Anyone?" Harry repeated.

Hesitantly, Yan Lin stepped forward. "Heian Jing Kin Xia was said to be a powerful demon, who regularly fell into dark moods. One day, a beautiful nymph captured his heart, and he kidnapped her and took her to his lair. On their wedding night, the nymph poisoned him to end his evil, but with his dying breath, he laid a curse upon the nymph, and she died the next day with her heart torn out."

All the Guardians winced. "EWWW!!!!" they chorused.

Harry felt himself wincing at every detail. "It's unbelievable how much the truth's been covered in lies. But it's a testament to the power of the truth that the _real_ story is still in there."

He turned to the rest of the Council. "That story is very close, and yet very far from the truth. And if I am to make my case, you _have_ to know the truth. First of all, Heian Jing Kin Xia was a nymph, one of most beautiful and powerful of them all, and was the equal of Xin Jing–"

Harry ignored the outcry that arose at his words, and pressed on. The truth will finally out, and _their_ view will be known as well. After all, he'd promised Daniel…

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In the end, the Council fell silent as Morpheus finished his story, about Kin Xia and her vision, and Xin Jing and her sacrifice.

"But why?" Taranee said as Morpheus ended his story. "Why did Kin Xia do that to herself? If she'd been with her cousin, Xin Jing might have lived!"

Morpheus shook his head. "No, Taranee, she wouldn't. Had Kin Xia stayed by her side, Xin Jing would still have died and her essence become the Heart of Kandrakar. But a Heart of Kandrakar supported by Kin Xia's love, and thus, far, far more powerful."

"And that's a bad thing because…?" Irma said.

"Even in those days, the universe needed balance. In fact, it was for that very reason that Kandrakar was built, to maintain balance. Had the Heart of Kandrakar been that powerful, it would have ripped the worlds apart, since there would be nothing strong enough to counter it," Morpheus explained.

"But the Heart of Kandrakar is already pretty powerful, and it doesn't need to be balanced by anything," Will pointed out.

At this, Morpheus laughed. "Will, haven't you understood a word I said? Of _course_ it's being balanced by something! The whole point of me spouting out all this cosmic mumbo-jumbo was to get that point across!"

At the blank looks of everyone, even the Oracle, Morpheus shook his head. "Think about it! The _Heart_ of Kandrakar. The Dark _Heart_. Do I need to draw it for you?"

Things finally clicked. "You're telling us that the _Dark Heart_ balances the _Heart of Kandrakar_ so that the universe doesn't get ripped apart?" Irma said.

"BINGO!!!" Morpheus said, pointing right at Irma. "Give the lady a boyfriend! Seriously, she needs one. That's _exactly_ what I'm talking about."

"Kin Xia didn't see Xin Jing's death," Will said out loud as the pieces finally clicked into place. "At least, not just! She saw the creation of the Heart of Kandrakar, and knew that it needed a balance!"

"That's right," Morpheus said. "Kin Xia provided that balance by creating the Dark Heart, the Heart of Kandrakar's opposite number."

"But wouldn't that mean that the Dark Heart had to be evil?" Cornelia said.

Morpheus shook his head. "No. The Heart of Kandrakar is a force for good only because that's how it's traditionally used. But it doesn't mean it can't be used for anything else, Nerissa being a recent prime example. The two Heart's are opposite because Kin Xia and Xin Jing were opposites. Xin Jing was always bright and cheerful, Kin Xia was usually dark and moody. Xin Jing sacrificed herself for the good of many, Kin Xia sacrificed herself for one person. Xin Jing made her Heart without love. Kin Xia made _her_ Heart with nothing but."

"Yet they were the same as well," Morpheus mused. "Both did what they thought was right, even if they had to do it alone, without the one they loved. Both left a lasting legacy. And both were women and lovers."

Not a few blushes arose from that comment, and people studiously tried not to look at Will and Cornelia.

"That's why, for each generation of Guardians, there has been a Keeper of the Dark Heart. Oh, some have gone bad like Nerissa did, corrupted by all the power they wielded, but many have just led simple lives. Why do you think that, out of so many, you only heard from the insane relative few?" Morpheus asked. The murmurs that arose were considering, and no longer hostile.

"Why hasn't anyone come to Kandrakar with this until now?" Hay Lin challenged. Will could tell the other girl wasn't as angry as before, however.

"Besides the way Kandrakar's tried to kill everyone it's met?" Morpheus asked, eyebrow raised, and Hay Lin had the courtesy to blush. "In the beginning, it was probably because Kin Xia didn't want the information to get around. She was a very private person. And her little 'curse' probably had something to do with it. Having the Heart of Kandrakar and the Dark Heart in close quarters can be deadly."

"The way they are now?" Taranee said. A hush fell over the room at those words.

Morpheus laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "Uh, yeah, forgot about that. But we're perfectly safe, honest! For now, anyway."

"What do you mean, 'for now'?" Caleb said.

"I mean 'for now', the two Hearts are _not_ going to blow up and destroy us all because of their close proximity. Like I said before, they're opposites. Do you girls know what happens when matter and anti-matter get together? Big explosion. This would be the magical equivalent," Morpheus said, looking flustered. It was the first time Will saw him lose his cool.

"Why isn't it blowing up?" Will asked.

Morpheus looked about to answer, then paused. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, the Morpheus Will knew was back. "Because they don't want to. You have to remember, these _are_ the essences of Kin Xia and Xin Jing."

At their blank looks, Morpheus shook his head, and Will was fairly sure he rolled his eyes. "The two haven't seen each other in who-knows-how-long! If you haven't seen your lover in that period of time, you'd want to hang around with them without interruptions too!"

Pausing, Morpheus continued. "Let me rephrase that. Kin Xia still loves Xin Jing. So for the moment, they're ignoring that 'never be together' thing by chalking it up as a result of a bad hangover."

At the looks, Morpheus said, "Hey, Kin Xia used to be moody, remember? That means she was a moody drunk, and how do you think she managed to get moody enough to make the Dark Heart in just a few hours?"

Yan Lin shrugged. "Works for me."

Others didn't look so convinced, however.

Sighing, Morpheus made the Heart of Kandrakar to appear in his hand. "Here," he said, handing it to Will. "That'll lower the chance of annihilation, at least."

Will froze as the Heart was dropped almost carelessly into her hands. "You're just _giving_ this to me?"

"Of course," Morpheus said. "I trust you."

"Trust me?" Will repeated. "You know nothing _about_ me!"

Morpheus smiled, and seemed to think. "Will Vandom, 14, attends Sheffield School in Heatherfield, classroom 3A. Has a frog-fetish, works part-time at the Olsen pet shop, and has a thing for the lead of Cobalt Blue. Supposedly a _very_ good kisser." Smirk. "Should I go on?"

Will felt herself blushing. "How...?"

"In the same way we are bound to the Hearts we posses, those Hearts bind us together," Morpheus explained. "You don't know it, but there exists a link between the Dark Keepers and the Guardians. I know more about you five than I'd care to _think_! I knew you'd be Guardians before even _you_ did, a year before you even _saw_ the Heart."

"WHAT?" the Guardians chorused. "Isn't that invasion of privacy? Taranee said.

Morpheus shrugged. "Blame Xin Jing and Kin Xia."

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Finally, the Oracle spoke. "Keeper of the Dark Heart."

At this, Harry turned.

"Before I make my decision, do you have anything else to say?" the Oracle said.

Harry thought it over. "I only want peace. It's not my fault I was chosen by the Dark Heart, the same way these girls couldn't help being chosen as the Guardians. Don't condemn me and those who will come after me for something over which we had no control."

The Oracle nodded, accepting this. "Very well. Wait with the Guardians while I reach my decision."

Taking the obvious dismissal, Harry bowed before he turned around and headed out the doors, followed by Caleb and the Guardians, who were being herded by Yan Lin.

"Nice speech," Yan Lin said when they'd put some distance between themselves and the Council Chambers.

"Thank you," Harry said. "I see the Oracle took care of Khor and Shagon while we were chatting. That was nice of him, although I would have done it myself. It was _my_ mess."

"Kandrakar feels it is responsible for Nerissa," Yan Lin said.

"Don't take all the credit," Harry responded. "We had our part in making her, too."

Harry paused in his steps as he felt the burst of power behind him. Turning, he saw the Guardians back in their transformed states. "We're not going to fight _again_, are we? Cause I _really_ don't want to hurt you girls."

Harry saw Will smirk as she absorbed the Heart of Kandrakar back into herself. "Just slipping into something more comfortable," she said.

"Hmm," Harry said. "Listen, when we first met… I'm sorry about that gay crack. It was the heat of the moment."

They all blinked, obviously not expecting that. "Um, that's okay," Will said.

Caleb scratched his head in confusion. "Gay crack?"

"We'll explain later," Cornelia said.

Something tickled Harry's memory. "Which reminds me, would you give me that Auramere I gave you, Cornelia?"

Cornelia glanced at Will, who nodded after a moment.

"Thanks," Harry said as he took the glowing magical construct. Without further ado, he pressed it against Caleb's chest.

Light burst at the contact, and Caleb let out a startle gasp, but Harry knew he was alright. When it was done, Harry dusted off his hands, saying, "Congratulations! You are once more the one-man Guardian."

Caleb blinked as Cornelia supported him, raising a hand to his chest. "Whoa…" he breathed.

Cornelia glared at Harry. "You could have warned us. And the point of all that was…?"

Harry shrugged. "Just putting things back where they belong. And speaking of where things belong… Caleb, may I speak with you for a moment? In private?"

The ex-Whisperer looked wary, but followed him when he led him to a secluded corner still in sight of the girls. No need to test how much they trusted him. With a small gesture, a shimmering black field, visible only to him engulfed the two of them, securing their privacy.

"What is it you want?" Caleb said, looking like he was afraid he'd eviscerate him. Harry wondered just what Cornelia had told her Metamoorian boyfriend.

"It's about Cornelia," Harry said. "Don't do it."

Caleb blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't break up with her."

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"What are they saying?" Irma whispered to Taranee.

The Fire Guardian shook her head. "I can't tell. There's some kind of telepathic shielding around the two of them."

"Great," Cornelia said. "Just great."

Abruptly, she sneezed.

"Bless you," Yan Lin said.

They had no idea what the two talked about. The girls stewed in silence while the boys talked. Initially, Caleb had seemed upset about something, but whatever Morpheus was saying was calming him down, even though a perplexed look crossed his face several times. At one point, Morpheus held Caleb's hand for a few moments.

Finally, the two walked back towards the Guardians. Morpheus merely waved casually at them, before heading towards a balcony to look at the cloud patterns outside.

"What was that about?" Cornelia whispered to Caleb. The boy looked thoughtful, but the look was chased off his face when he looked at her.

"He gave me a little advice," was the only thing he said. Before they could ask anymore, a chime rang through the air.

"Come," Yan Lin said. "The Oracle has made is decision."

Caleb kept shooting glances at Morpheus on the way back, which really got Cornelia wondering what they'd talked about. Whenever she asked, however, all he said was "It's nothing".

Before she could bug him some more, the Oracle spoke.

"Morpheus of the Dark Heart, come forward," he said. Morpheus did so. "After careful consideration of what you have told us regarding the nature of the Dark Heart, I have decided to agree to your proposition of an alliance." A murmur spread through the Council at those words. "What are your terms?"

Morpheus tilted his head. "Kandrakar no longer hunts Dark Keepers unless it had been satisfactorily proven that they have committed a crime. We are to be left alone. Beyond that, each Dark Keeper will negotiate his standing for himself. At the death of the Dark Keeper, his personal arrangement with Kandrakar shall be rendered null and void and shall not be imposed on his successor."

There was another wave of muttering at those words. The Oracle seemed to ignore them. "And _your_ 'personal arrangement' is?"

Morpheus straightened. "I offer my services, _within_ _reason and on a case by case basis, _to Kandrakar. Think of me as a back-up 'one-man-Guardian'. I am allowed to choose which of your missions I'll go in, and I get to say no to the ones I don't want. I am also given carte blanche and you do not question my methods, or decisions. If you need my help, just tell Caleb and he'll inform me."

"_What?_" Cornelia hissed, looking at her boyfriend.

"I'll explain later," he said.

"You'd better," she growled, making him gulp.

The Oracle seemed to be waiting for more. "That is it? You do not wish some form of payment?"

Morpheus jerked a thumb at the Guardians. "Keep those girls alive, and maybe get Irma a boyfriend in this lifetime, and we'll call it even."

"What?" the girls said.

Morpheus turned to look at them, grinning. "What? I like you girls. You're funny. And cute. Don't forget cute."

"Even after everything…" Taranee started to say, but Morpheus waved her off.

"Consider it a misunderstanding. Why don't we start with a clean slate? Hi, I'm Morpheus, or at least that's the name I'm going by for now. Nice to meet you," he said extending his hand towards them.

For a moment, none of them moved, looking at his hand indecisively, not wanting to be first. Finally, Hay Lin took a deep breath and shook his hand. "Hi, I'm Hay Lin. Sorry about…"

Morpheus shook his head. "Clean slate, remember? So just forget about it. Okay?"

Hay Lin grinned. "Okay."

One by one, the other Guardians shook hands with Morpheus. Gingerly and Nervously, to be sure, but willingly as well. Finally, Morpheus turned back to the Oracle, who had observed the little ceremony with a considering look.

"Well, I have to go now. School and all," Morpheus said. Grinning at the Guardians, he added, "Just one of the things we have in common; the need to go to a purgatory on earth called school."

The girls laughed a little at that, and the tension between them lightened some more.

"So, see you around?" Hay Lin said.

"Don't worry, we'll meet again," Morpheus said, smiling. "And next time, no unnecessary mind control."

With those words and a mist of black, Morpheus was gone.

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Later, as the Oracle meditated, Tibor approached him. "Well? Do you trust him?"

There was no need to say 'who'.

The Oracle sighed. "Only time will tell, old friend. Many in the fortress still view him with suspicion, if not distrust. The Dark Heart's legend cannot be so easily forgotten so easily by a few words."

"But do you _trust_ him?" the other man pressed.

The Oracle sighed. "I do not know, Tibor. I just do not know…"

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**- To be continued... in a while…**

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A/N: And they lived happily 'til the next chapter…

And so ends the introductory arc of 'Keeper of the Dark Heart'. I still have to think about what happens next, but things won't be boring, _that _I promise.

To **Radszilla**: –_is crying eyes out_– WAH!!! I'm so touched!!!

To **Sarah R Potter**: neither can I. It's when I get more reviews!

To **HarbringerLady**: nope, not evil, as this chap very well shows…

To **JuMiKu**: yeah, it IS kind of hot…

To **Darklight**: yeah, but where's the Gryffindor-ness in that?

To **wizardmon92**: CCH: Card Captor Harry. We don't do Halloween where I am. Too hot to be in costume. Too dangerous, too. Lots of crazy people on the streets…

To **Ran Hoshino**: like I said before, having the Dark Hearts isn't ALL chocolates. Nope, definitely no interest in Cho. He'll be too busy…

To **Magnificent the Destroyer Lord**: your prayers have paid off! And, no, just say the issue number.

To **Blue Werewolf Boy**: thanks.

To **Anonymous Reviewer 1**: Nope, no movie. And no, no romance, at least not yet. I'm kind of a romantic, so I'm letting the W.I.T.C.H. girls have their canon boys. Harry, however... well, I have a thing about liking to mess up Harry's love life by dropping weirdoes on him…

To **ApocSM**: Thanks! You're the first one to mention the plot!

To **Azrael014**: will do!

To **Exarikun**: I would have done the omake anyway. I have this thing for femmeslash-y stuff. Trust me, the comics are much better. As for the Harry question, well…

To **The Red Dragons Order**: Too late, already written some CCH! No, they don't die. All Daniel did was symbolically fusing his Dark Heart with Harry's so that Harry would have access to the info he'd been suppressing. Daniel offed _himself_. Lovable? Yup, you _have_ been awake too long…

To **Saetan**: if you like girl-on-girl, check out: www dot shoujoai dot com. That's where I go for my fix. By the way, what country?

To **nantukoprime**: if you want, I've got a complete plot and partially done first chap of a Harry/Death romance fic I don't have time to right just yet. Want it?

To **Apoc29 **: there are others? WHERE?

To **Shutsumon**: writing…

Please review, C&C welcome. If you're anonymous, can you please say whether you're male or female? Really helps with my ego. Um, can people stop asking me to update? I will, I promise! How about leaving something else in the box? Please?

Up next: Harry and W.I.T.C.H. spend quality time together!

Until next time, this is Shadow, signing off. Oh, and please check out my newest fic, 'Uzumaki Harry'.


	6. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

A/N: A funny little filler, just before things start happening. ENJOY!

Sorry for the long wait, but I've been having problems at school, and my studies- in theory- come first. Expect longer waits. Much longer.

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Harry Potter: Keeper of the Dark Heart

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 6: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, which belongs to J.K. Rowling, or W.I.T.C.H., which belongs (I think) to Disney and some European lady. This is based on the comic book version of W.I.T.C.H., not the cartoon version, or the kiddy book version. I ask any relatives reading this to never bring it up in my presence or I will cut you off from my will.

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Known as one of the best schools in the wizarding world, Hogwarts has a long, illustrious history of providing quality education to the magical youth of Scotland, Ireland, and the Britain. It's had good eggs and bad ones. Heroes and Dark Lords alike have walked its halls, learning the skills they would use in their path. Its students have produced many wonderful and terrible achievements.

Unfortunately, none of those has been to eradicate boredom.

History of Magic was when Harry felt most pressed for the self-control needed not to go nuts with the Dark Heart. Many a time since first year has he been tempted to send Binns on into the afterlife, or perhaps seal him in a wind-up clapping monkey. That and other thoughts as usual flitted through Harry's mind as he sat with a glazed expression on his face. The rest of the class around him was pretty much the same, with the sole exception of Hermione, who was taking down notes with her usual fervor.

Sighing, Harry decided to stop that line of thought before something actually happened. Ignoring Hermione's pointed looks as usual, he concentrated on his link with the Guardians. No good. _They_ were going through Infernus Scholasticus too. Letting the link dissolve, Harry pondered. Ever since the minor excitement a few days ago regarding the Astral Drop, things have been boring for him _and _the W.I.T.C.H. girls. And not the good kind of boring, where everything is wound down and you can relax when you feel like it. This is the kind of boring that comes from your brain going numb and you don't want to think anymore.

Usually, the only things that worked to dispel such boredom was either waiting for your brain to reboot, a painful process that sometimes took days t, or to have an exciting incident automatically restart your brain quickly and painlessly. Unfortunately, nothing seemed about to happen to any of them…

The proverbial light bulb went off in Harry's head.

…unless he caused it!

And there was no time like the present! The girls would be getting out in a few minutes. That would be the perfect time for a little surprise.

With a thought, Harry stopped time. Well, actually, he put it in super-slow motion. Actually stopping time was such a headache, and not really worth the trouble. This got the job done in less effort.

Harry wasn't as all-powerful as he made himself out to be. He'd mainly done it so that the girls would overestimate him, which was as good as them underestimating him. It was true he was slightly more powerful than all the girls put together, it was true that him using the Dark Heart was slightly more powerful than Will using the Heart of Kandrakar.

Them the limits kicked in.

There were basically three ways Harry could do things. One, he could use the magic he had as a Dark Keeper. Two, he could 'wish' upon the Dark Heart, basically asking it to do something and it doing it by itself. Three, he combined the dark Heart's power with his own, sending it through the roof, the clouds, the atmosphere and clear through space, letting him draw on the Dark Heart's near-infinite power and allowing him to use it with more finesse and control than 'wishing'. The W.I.T.C.H. girls could do one and two, but not three. They used an alternate method where all of them combined their powers and intent with the Heart of Kandrakar, making a kind of 'super-wish'.

It was the third method Harry used to 'stop' time. Using the first was impossible, and the second was dangerous, uncertain, uncontrolled, and insane- and sort of overkill. As soon as Harry felt the effect taking place, he stood up, taking care not to bump into anything or anyone. He knew it was silly, but it was a reflexive action.

As soon as he was clear, Harry concentrated his own personal store of non-wand, Dark Keeper magic, and a picture-perfect duplicate of Harry was sitting where he had been. Harry's Astral Drone was the complete opposite of the Guardians' Astral Drops. It was completely mindless, and was basically a puppet controlled by Harry's will. Harry was aware of it's every movement, action and deed, so it was like he was really there.

In a swirl of black mist, Harry disappeared. Time started moving again as the Dark Keeper left the building, with no one the wiser that what was sitting in his desk was a remote-operated magical energy clone…

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"I hate school," Irma said in a zombie-like voice as she shuffled along, her eyes half-lidded. She and the others were walking through the park from said place.

Usually, Cornelia would roll her eyes and say something barbed and sarcastic, but this time, she just sighed and plodded on.

All the girls were feeling down. Even the normally perky Hay Lin wasn't her usual 'ball-of-energy' self.

Will sighed. "What did Morpheus call it?" she said.

"Purgatory on earth," a voice said suddenly.

All the girls blinked, looking around.

"Up here," the unfamiliar voice said.

The girls all looked up. Standing on a nearby tree branch and leaning against the main trunk was a girl about their age. She looked disturbingly like Will, with the same hairstyle, but that's where the similarities end. Her hair was midnight-black, her eyes emerald green. She was wearing tight black pants, black boots, a black spaghetti-strap, a leather jacket with a smiley-face button on the lapel, and, to add to the already weird picture, a silver ankh pendant and a top hat. She was grinning down at the girls from her perch.

"Uh, who are you?" Taranee said.

The girl's grin widened slightly, and then she blinked. When her eyes opened again, they were starry black voids. Another blink, and they were green again.

The jaws of all the girls dropped. "**_Morpheus?_**" they chorused.

"Bingo!" the girl said, hopping off her branch and floating down in front of them. "Although 'Morpheus' doesn't really go with the hat. And the rest of me. how about calling me…" she paused, seeming to consider, "…Deedee. Yup, 'Deedee's' a good name."

"'Deedee'?" Irma repeated, staring at the person in front of her.

"You got it!" 'Deedee' said perkily. "That's my new name, don't wear it out!"

"Um, why are you here?" Will said.

Deedee smiled widely. "I was bored, and my little friend Kin Xia heard from her girlfriend Xin Jing the _you_ were bored, so I thought I'd head over here and we could all be bored together!"

Blink. "Eh, why?" Cornelia said suspiciously.

Deedee shrugged. "Well, I thought that since you're not being sent to kill me anymore, we could get to know each other in something outside our Heart-related capacities, maybe do dinner or something…"

Again, Deedee shrugged.

The girls all looked at each other, then the first four initials of W.I.T.C.H. turned to stare at Hay Lin, who was staring at Deedee's top hat with a speculative look in her eyes. The other girls could practically see the wheels turning in her head as the Wind Guardian kept looking at the head gear.

Hay Lin blinked as she felt the other girls' gazes on her. "What?" she said.

"Don't you have some kind of objection?" Taranee said.

Hay Lin blinked again in confusion before it clicked, and a wide smile spread across her face. "Clean slate, remember? Right, 'Deedee'?"

"Right, 'Hay-Hay'!" Deedee said, smiling as widely.

"Hey, that's what _I_ call her!" Irma said.

Will, Taranee and Cornelia looked at each other questioningly.

Cornelia shrugged. "Why not?" she said.

"This should be interesting," Taranee added.

----------------------------------------

"Thank you, thank you, thank you…" Will repeated over and over again, her eyes happy-glazed as they walked out of the store. In her hands, she carried a Gamabunta plushy, and a box containing a Sailor Saturn figurine. On her head was a hidden Sound _hitae-ate_.

"You're welcome already!" Harry said, exasperated, but smiling as she said it. She herself was wearing a Hidden Snow forehead protector. He carried a box containing figurines of Sakura, Hinata, Tenten, Ino, Temari, Tsunade, Anko, Kurenai, and Shizune, and another box containing a figurine of Jill Thompson's manga version of Death. A part of her wondered if anyone would notice the similarity, but she guessed not.

"Where'd you get the money for all this?" Cornelia asked, eyes slightly happy-glazed herself. She had a Hidden Leaf protector tied around one arm, and a Hidden Rock protector tied around the other. A Sharingan pendant hung around her neck, as well as a Griever pendant, a Clow Key pendant, and Haru Glory and Elie pendants. Harry, however, was amused by her choice of figurines. Her boxes contained a Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus, a Ten'jou Utena, a Himemiya Anthy, a Kinomoto Sakura, a Daidouji Tomoyo, a Setsuna Sakurazaki, and a Konoe Konoka. She wondered if she knew…?

"Not that we're complaining!" Irma said. She had a Hidden rain on one arm, a Hidden Mist in the other, and a Hidden Falls on her head. She was carrying several boxes of bath oils and stuff Harry had bought her earlier.

"That's _my_ little secret," Harry said, adjusting her top hat with her magic since her hands were occupied. Actually, she'd materialized money from Gringotts she'd exchanged a long time ago.

"It's nothing illegal, is it?" Taranee asked dryly, but she was smiling as she said it. She was carrying Shayla-Shayla, Sailor Mars, Hanabishi Recca, Feye Feiring, Ifrit, and Shidou Hikaru figurines.

"Nope," Harry said. "Nothing illegal."

"Alright then!" Hay Lin said, her Hidden Sand _hitae-ate_ bouncing around her neck. In her arms were boxes containing a Rumina figure from **_Tokyo Underground_**, Afura from **_El-Hazard_**, a Valefor figurine, the complete cast of **_Vandread_** and **_Tenchi Muyo_**, and a Lucia figurine from **_Lunar 2: Eternal Blue_**. "Where to next?"

Harry grinned. "How do you girls feel about getting even with me?"

The girls all looked at each other and smirked. "What did you have in mind?" Will said.

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Harry paused and tried to catch her breath. Leaning against a handy wall, she crouched down as low as she could to minimize the chance of being seen. She checked her ammo, finding it sufficient. Not that she'd used her gun much, anyway.

The girls had been brutal. They had been heartless, merciless and probably liable for being outlawed by the Geneva Convention. This was one time where their superior numbers and experience working together as a group was an advantage over Harry.

She knew they were out there. She just didn't know where…

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Will slowly crept forward, backed up by Hay Lin, both with guns at the ready. The other girl seemed to have a disturbing affinity for weapons, and had become the group's tank. Not only can she take it, she could shrug it off. And as far as dishing it out… well, Deedee had been shot to pieces in the 2.589 seconds Hay Lin had caught sight of her last time.

Will paused for a moment, looking over at Cornelia, who was backed up by Taranee and Irma. The red-head made a subtle hand-signal, which the blonde responded to. The Keeper of the Heart nodded, waited 'til the slow count of ten they'd arranged before hand, and attacked, gun blazing, followed by Hay Lin, who was screaming Klingon war cries as she let loose on their unsuspecting target, while the other three broke cover, capturing their opponent with the pincer action.

Will ignored the way her forehead went bloody red as Deedee's head-shot connected, never letting go of her trigger…

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"I didn't do enough to deserve _that_ kind of a beating, did I?" Deedee said mournfully, pouting cutely as they walked away from the paintball arena.

"Probably not," Irma said, sighing in contentment, stretching her arms over her head. "But it sure was therapeutic!"

"All those face shots were unfair!" Deedee continued. "I mean, really! The worst thing I did was making Will kiss Cornelia!"

Hay Lin stopped dead in her tracks as the two in question turned interesting shades of red. "Will kissed Cornelia?"

Deedee sweatdropped as the two glared at her. "Um, she didn't know?"

"She does now," Will growled, and the ground shook slightly as Cornelia's anger flared.

"Oops. My bad," Deedee said, backing away nervously as they continued glaring at her.

"Why didn't anyone tell me about this?" Hay Lin whined, very upset they hadn't let her in on it.

"Because the fewer who knew, the better!" Cornelia said testily.

"What's the big deal?" Taranee said, trying to sound placating. "It's not like we'd think any less of you. And it was all Deedee's fault."

"Yup, totally my fault!" Deedee said, managing not to cringe at their looks.

After a couple more glares, Taranee finally got them to drop the subject, and Deedee started breathing easier. Then, Hay Lin opened her mouth and ruined it.

She looked at Will, then Cornelia, and back again. "So, what's it like to kiss a girl?"

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"You just _had_ to open your _big _mouth, didn't you?" Will muttered, before sticking her fork of Chicken Alfredo into her mouth.

"I said I was sorry," Deedee said, pouting cutely. Cutting at her steak delicately, Deedee popped a slice into hers.

"Come on!" Hay Lin whispered, so that only the ones at their table could hear. "What's it like? How does it compare to kissing a boy?"

They all ignored her. After doing it for the past two hours, they'd gotten pretty good at it.

"At least she's being discrete," Cornelia muttered, spearing at her _penne _savagely.

The six of them were at the Lodelyday, _the_ hottest restaurant in Heatherfield. And Deedee was footing the bill. The girls had taken advantage of the situation by ordering their favorites, which, considering where they were, were priced about three to five times what they would be anywhere else. The Lodelyday got its good reputation for a reason, however. People got their moneys worth. The servings were at least twice the size anywhere else, and infinitely better tasting.

This meant, however, that it was not the place to be talking about girls kissing girls.

_Anyone have any idea how to shut her up?_ Taranee asked telepathically. Physically, she didn't stir, just ate her Buffalo Wings and kept from making eye-contact with the Guardian of Air, who was alternately eating her _cordon bleu_ and pestering Will and Cornelia with whispers.

**_If I did, I would have used it already!_** Cornelia 'yelled', giving everyone a momentary headache.

_Do you mind? Just because Hay Lin wants to know about a little kink is no reason to take it out on us!_ Irma 'said', biting into her bacon-and-mushroom-triple-patty-burger.

_Um I've got an idea,_ Deedee said hesitantly, taking a drink from her soda.

_WHAT IS IT?_ the girls, sans-Hay Lin, all chorused, giving the Dark Keeper a bigger headache that Cornelia had. _SPILL!_

Deedee told them

_ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? I'M NOT DOING IT!_

_Fine,_ Deedee said. _I will._

_You're a guy,_ Taranee pointed out.

_Technically, right now, I'm very much girl, _Deedee said. _I'd show you how much of a girl I am if it wouldn't be rude and inappropriate._

_Ugh. Okay, we did not need to hear that,_ Irma said.

_Sorry. So, should I shut her up?_

_Better you than me!_ Will and Cornelia chorused. Irma and Taranee mentally snickered.

_Um, how are you going to do this?_ Taranee asked.

For an answer, Deedee closed her eyes, and everything but the six of them stopped.

"Hey, what's going on?" Hay Lin said.

Deedee moved away from her seat and went to stand behind Hay Lin. Blinking, Hay Lin turned around to look at her, kneeling on her chair to do so. Solemnly, Deedee placed her hands on the other girl's shoulders.

"Hay Lin," Deedee said slowly, "all of us would like you to shut up about this subject so we can eat. But since it doesn't look like you're going to until you find out what it's like, maybe _this_ will finally keep you quiet."

"What do yo- HMPH!" Hay Lin was cut off as Deedee leaned forward and kissed her. The purple-haired girl tried to draw back out of reflex, but Deedee's hand rose from her shoulder, holding her head in place. After a moment, Hay Lin closed her eyes, leaning into the kiss, moaning softly in pleasure at the back of her throat…

Will, Irma, Taranee and Cornelia watched in morbid fascination, all turning rather embarrassed shades of red, although Cornelia seemed to be watching a little _too_ closely.

"Did _we _look like that?" Will said, unable to pry her eyes from the scene before her.

"Uh-huh," Irma said distractedly.

Finally, the two broke apart, panting and gasping for air. Hay Lin had a wondering looking on her face, while Deedee was redder that Will's hair. The Dark-Keeper-turned-girl quickly took her hands off Hay Lin, not looking at anyone.

"Woah!" Hay Lin said, licking her lips thoughtfully, as if trying to capture a flavor. "My first kiss! And with a girl to boot!"

Blushing, Deedee made as if to wipe her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Don't you _dare_!" Hay Lin said. "You're not wiping me off until you tell me how I taste!"

Deedee grimaced, then shook her head in bemusement. "My first kiss," she repeated, blushing slightly, "and _as_ a girl to boot!"

"There," Will said, trying to sound gruff. "You know what it's like. _Now_ will you shut up about it and let us eat?"

Hay Lin tilted her head, tapping her lips as if thinking about it. "Okay!"

The others sighed in relief. Deedee returned to her chair and was about to un-pause time when Hay Lin added, "but I want to try it again later!"

They all sighed again, this time in exasperation.

"Does Eric know his girlfriend swings both ways?" Irma said dryly.

"Maybe it's all the purple on her head?" Deedee said in the same tone.

"Could be," Taranee said, thankful her hair wasn't dark enough to be purple.

Cornelia poked her food. "Deedee, could you _please_ undo whatever it was you did? This food isn't moving."

"Whoops!" Deedee said, snapping her fingers. Around them, people started moving again. "Sorry about that."

Cornelia speared some pasta on her fork. "Better," she said, then popped it in her mouth.

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"Oh, that was _so_ good!" Irma said, patting her full stomach.

"Glad you liked it," Harry said, grinning. The food at Hogwarts was good, but so was a little variety. "we've got to do this again some time."

"Definitely!" Hay Lin said. She'd seemed to have forgotten about the kissing thing at the moment, much to everyone's relief.

"I can't believe we ate all that," Cornelia said, shaking her head.

As they walked, Harry's brow furrowed. There was something tugging at the back of her mind, something she needed to remember, but she just couldn't place it…

"Something wrong?" Taranee asked, noticing his concentration.

"I'm getting the feeling I'm forgetting something," Harry said, taking off her top hat and running a hand through her hair. "Something important…"

"Hey, look!" Will said, pointing up. "A shooting star!"

Star… Harry snapped her fingers. "Eureka!" she said. "Now I remember!"

"Remember what?" Hay Lin said.

Harry didn't answer right away. Instead, she looked around furtively, even looking straight up at one point, before waving her hand. All the girls felt cold for a split second as a black mist enveloped them, obstructing their vision. When the mist disappeared, they found themselves at an isolated corner of the park they'd been in that afternoon.

"What the…" the girls said, or some variation thereof. Harry could feel their thoughts suddenly become wary and alert, and she tried to get them to calm down.

Raising her hands placatingly, she tried to appear disarming. "Calm down. I just teleported us to the park. I didn't want anyone seeing us."

"'Deedee'," Cornelia said, eyes narrowed, "you'd better have a good explanation for this."

"I do," Harry said. "I needed Will to take out the Heart of Kandrakar, and I didn't think it would be a good idea to do that in the middle of the sidewalk."

"Why would I do that?" Will said. Harry could feel her mind racing, wondering if all this was some trap to kill them all.

"Cassidy," Harry said. "This is about Cassidy."

The girls all looked at her strangely. "What about her?" Irma said.

"I just remembered. I'd meant to do it at Kandrakar a few days ago, but it slipped my mind," Harry said. "Remember how the Star of Cassidy fused with the Heart?"

"Yes…" Will said warily.

"And remember what I said about that message from Cassidy?"

It took Taranee three seconds to make the connection. "Oh my gosh!" Taranee exclaimed. "You're saying _Cassidy_ is _in _ the Heart of Kandrakar?"

Harry nodded, causing confused looks all around. "The 'Star' Cassidy gave you was actually her essence, the one that Daniel- rest his soul- gathered and protected from Nerissa. It was more than the 'spark' of the Heart she claimed it was. She's trapped in the Heart, and I need to get her out. If I don't, she might not be able to move on, _ever_!"

"And you only just remembered this _now_?" Irma said.

Harry shrugged her shoulders. "We were busy."

The girls looked at each other, and Harry knew they were having a telepathic conversation. He kept his mind closed, giving them their privacy. Finally, he felt a burst of power a moment before Will summoned the Heart, and the girls all transformed to their older incarnations. Warily, Will held out the Heart towards him. "No funny stuff."

Harry nodded. "Never crossed my mind," she said, as she extended her hands to either side of the Heart, so that it la suspended between her palms.

"Wait," Taranee said. "Isn't this dangerous? You said something about it not being safe to have the Hearts close together."

Harry shook her head. "As long as either one isn't putting out massive amounts of energy, and that one is inside it's Keeper, its safe. For a time, anyway."

"How long?" Cornelia asked.

"Weeks. A year, tops," Harry said. "So unless you girls start pooling your power into the Heart like that time I told you it wasn't a good idea, we're safe."

Will paled as she realized the danger they'd been in that time.

Harry ignored this, however. Instead, she narrowed her eyes, focusing on the Heart with her magic. The Heart pulsed, and inside her, Harry could feel the Dark Heart doing the same, beating counter to its eternal doppelganger. Slowly, she wrapped one hand around it. Heat seared her hand, and Harry bit back a reflexive hiss. Inside, cold gripped her, as the two opposed energy sources made contact through Harry. It was still safe, but not very comfortable.

Ignoring the discomfort, Harry focused, searching for what she knew was there, hidden inside the energies of the Heart. He felt the Guardians' eyes on her, and didn't care. She had a job to do…

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Will watched, anxious, as 'Deedee' took hold of the Heart with one hand. She didn't try to take it away, just held it, eyes nearly closed. Will could feel a mild, but familiar sense of vertigo, the same one she felt whenever there was magic around, or sometimes danger. She really wasn't sure what it was about, but she felt for certain this time it was reacting to the power 'Deedee' was using.

Finally, after a long while, Deedee shook, the cord on which the Heart hung trembling in Wills grasp. With a pulling gesture, Deedee withdrew her hand, her fingers passing _through_ the Heart as she held what looked like an auramere in her grasp.

No, Will corrected herself, it wasn't an auramere. It was brighter, blazing in the darkness, looking very much like…

Will's eyes widened in realization.

…like a star.

Abruptly, Will realized Deedee was breathing hard, as if she'd just ran a marathon, her knees shaking and sweat dripping down her face.

"Deedee!" Hay Lin said, obviously noticing and concerned.

Deedee smiled wanly. "Ladies," she said, holding up the hand she was holding the light. "May I introduce, the former Guardian and Former Keeper of the Heart, Cassidy."

The other's stared at what she held in her hand. Wearily, Deedee stood up, obviously tired. "Will, could you put the Heart back inside you? I need to take out the Dark Heart, and I can't do that with the Heart out."

Will nodded, taking the Heart back inside herself. "There."

Deedee nodded in thanks, than closed her eyes again, concentrating.

Will suddenly felt cold as, with a mild burst of magic, the Dark Heart appeared in Deedee's other hand. It was the first time Will had had a good look at it. The resemblance to the Heart of Kandrakar was uncanny, a literal mirror image, as the loop of metal ran up the opposite side. The frame was gun-metal black, and the crystal was dark, reminding Will of what the Heart had looked like when Nerissa had gotten her hands on it. Black mist swirled inside the crystal, which pulsed, and inside her, Will could feel the Heart of Kandrakar pulsing alternately, in time with it.

Deedee sighed as the Dark Heart materialized, and all the tiredness she had seemed to be feeling abruptly vanished. Straightening, Deedee hung the Dark Heart around her neck as she cupped the essence of Cassidy in her hands. Deedee closed her eyes again as she concentrated. Around her neck, the Dark Heart flared slightly, and Will felt the Heart of Kandrakar grow warmer inside her.

The star- for it _was_ a star- in Deedee's hands quivered, shifted, trembled as Deedee concentrated on it. Finally, it started to grow. The Guardians watched as the Star expanded, arcing up and down, spreading and shifting color until finally, at last, the figure of a young woman in an outfit reminiscent of theirs appeared, a transparent ghostly image. Slowly, the figure opened her eyes.

Her gaze met Will's.

Will knew those eyes. "Cassidy!" she exclaimed.

Cassidy smiled. "Hello, Will," she said. "Nice to see you again."

Behind Cassidy, Deedee collapsed down on her knees. Hay Lin rushed over to help her up, and she accepted, but she winced when Hay Lin took her right hand.

"Are you alright?" Hay Lin asked, letting go.

"Yeah," Deedee said, drawing back her hand hastily. "Just a few magic burns."

"Burns?"

Deedee nodded. "When I touch the Heart of Kandrakar, I get burns if it or I am emitting power. I'm sure if Will touched the Dark Heart, she'd freeze her hand."

Will shuddered at that.

"So you're the new Dark Keeper?" Cassidy said, turning to face Deedee. "Congratulations on Nerissa!"

Deedee smiled. "Thanks. Thanks for the help too, by the way."

Cassidy waved the comment aside. "No problem. I never could stand that snob."

----------------------------------------

Harry rested for a moment as the girls and Cassidy talked. Hay Lin stood close to her, occasionally sending concerned looks her way. She gave the Guardian a reassuring smile, trying to ease her mind. Neither saw Cassidy glance their way and grin mischievously.

"Guess history is going to repeat itself," Cassidy said slyly.

Irma blinked. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Cassidy pointed a transparent finger at Harry and Hay Lin. "Daniel and Yan got pretty close too."

Hay Lin blushed at the insinuation as Harry forced herself to stand up. She wanted to blush too, but fought the urge. "Watch it, starry," Harry threatened. "Your little Casper act isn't permanent."

"Speaking of which…" Taranee began.

"It was a promise to Daniel, before he committed suicide," Harry said evenly, causing to girls the gasp at the revelation. "I promised him I'd help Cassidy move on. At the time, we didn't know you were going to do that 'give Will a supposed shard of the Heart' bit."

"Why would she need your help to move on?" Will said in confusion.

"Because I wasn't going anywhere in there," Cassidy said, looking at Harry with her head cocked to one side. "How did you know?"

Harry smiled lopsidedly. "I knew when you sent me that little note to give to Nerissa. In the moment we made contact, I 'felt' you were too strong. You were trapped by your action, by your giving Will the pseudo-Heart."

"It wasn't a 'pseudo-Heart'," Cassidy said. "I really _was_ my shard. I just happened to go along for the ride. Don't you Dark Keepers have something like that?"

Harry shook her head. "No. We're bound for life."

Cassidy blinked. "Then how…?"

"Trade secret…for now," Harry said, giving the W.I.T.C.H. girls a sideways glance. "Maybe some other time. Right now, I'm here for _you_."

"Me?" Cassidy repeated.

Harry nodded. "I'm here to give you a choice," she said. "Either I can release you from this state so you can go to what could be called 'The Other Side'…"

"Or?" Cassidy pressed.

Harry smiled. "Or I could try to give you back a body, and you can pick up where you left off."

For a moment, there was dead silence. Harry watched as before her eyes, the history of this park appeared. These silence flashbacks were really annoying.

"...Give her back a body?" Cornelia said.

"_Try _to," Harry corrected. "There's a difference."

"And if you don't succeed?" Cassidy asked.

Harry shrugged. "We'll work on what happens after that. That is, if you want to try? You'll have to come with me, since I can't do it here- that, I'm fairly sure of."

Irma frowned. "Isn't Cassidy supposed to be dead?" she butted in.

Taranee rolled her eyes. "Real sensitive, Irma..." she muttered.

"Actually, no," Harry said. "Daniel technically prevented you from dying when he collected your essence to protect you from Nerissa. Your body's gone, true, but you're not dead."

"I don't follow," Cassidy said.

"You don't have to," Harry said. "So, what'll it be?"

There was another silence as Cassidy thought...

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The girls watched as Deedee carefully placed the crystal containing Cassidy's essence in her pocket. After the spirit/essence/ghost/whatever of Cassidy had agreed, Deedee had used her magic to draw crystals from the ground, and used it to create a large marble-sized object that looked remarkably like the Heart of Kandrakar. She'd fused/sealed/temporarily housed/whatevered Cassidy into it, with promises of getting her into a proper body at the soonest possible time.

"Well, that's that," Deedee said, adjusting her top hat again. "So…"

The Guardians, who'd untransformed while Deedee had been making the crystal, all looked at each other, than at her. "So…" Will said, unsure of what to say.

"Guess I'd better get going," Deedee said, looking up at the dark sky. "It's pretty late, and I've got homework and reports and bodies to make and stuff."

"Yeah, we'd better get home too," Taranee said. She looked at Will. "You don't want your mom to ground you again, do you?"

Will shuddered at the thought. "Definitely not."

"So, I guess this is good bye?" Cornelia said.

Deedee smirked. "Definitely not," she said, repeating Will. "I'll come back again. Whenever you want me to, in fact. Just think of me, and I'll pop by as soon as I can."

"You can do that?" Irma said.

"Of course!" Deedee said, drawing herself up in an exaggerated pose. "I'm the Keeper of the Dark Heart! I can do anything! Well, except stay focused in history class, anyway. I swear, that class should be bottled into the world's strongest sleeping pill. It could cure all insomnia."

The girls all laughed. "Hear, hear!" Hay Lin said, pumping her fist in the air in agreement.

After a while, they all stopped laughing, and there was a moment of silence.

"So," Deedee said. "I guess I better get going."

Hay Lin rushed forward and enfolded her in a hug. "It was great hanging out with you," she said.

Deedee smiled. "You too."

Impulsively, she leaned forward and gave Hay Lin a quick kiss on the lips. The Guardian blinked, blushing, as Deedee smiled. "Ham and cheese. You taste like ham and cheese."

Flushed, the Guardian backed away as Deedee materialized the Dark Heart into existence. "Until we meet again," Deedee said.

In a swirl of cold, black mist, she was gone…

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**- The End... Of The Beginning…**

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A/N: I'm putting Heatherfield somewhere in Italy, or at least in Europe. I think the cartoon puts it in California, but that just doesn't work for me. Besides, lake monsters feels more like a European thing. No offense to any European readers.

For those who don't know, Eric is Hay Lin's love interest (he hasn't had enough appearances to be called her boyfriend) in the comic canon. And, NO, no Harry/Hay Lin. Those scenes were just for laughs.

Or were they…? I have a weird tendency to change my mind the nanosecond I get a good plot idea…

I thought it would be fun to have Cassidy, so I got her. She acts the way she does because she's supposed to have watched Will since she was born, so she must have picked up contemporary lingo and stuff.

Harry hasn't killed Voldie yet because this is set in the beginning parts of book three. My story is going to be a little different from the standard cross, as I still need more info W.I.T.C.H.-side, specifically, the ending of the current comic arc. XD

In the meant time… well, read the next chap. XD

My thanks to the following for reviewing: **momocolady, swordofice1, Seer of Light and Fire, Him, NoName, Sokai, AzureSky123, Dumbledork, Chaseme720, Sarah R Potter, Nerdvana, Ran Hoshino, Apoc29 , The Red Dragons Order, wizardmon92, Shutsumon, Blue Werewolf Boy, Nantukoprime**, and **JuMiKu**. Sorry I didn't answer you all personally, but there didn't seem to be a lot of questions.

Please review, C&C welcome. Is it just me, or is the canon W.I.T.C.H. comic, despite being made by Disney, positively _dripping_ with bisexual undertones? I mean, the most recent drawings of Elyon in the books make her look like a boy who just happens to have two braids behind her ears! Most of the guys the girls like look like girls, and Orube is pretty masculine, in a Tenou Haruka sort of way. Not that I'm complaining. It should only be a matter of time before political correctness forces Disney to make a lesbian character. -_snicker_-

Up next: The Dark Keeper meets everyone's favorite half-demon! Seriously, a lot of you like this guy...

Until next time, this is Shadow, signing off.


	7. Dark Keeper Meets Dark Child

A/N: Starting here, KotDH takes its first step in a new direction. Harry's about to be thrust into bigger things…

For those who need the Harry timeline, it's some time after Christmas of book three. Potter-verse not affected by the Dark Heart much, at this time, anyway. Well, except for the Basilisk. Anyway, all changes, if any, are minor, which Harry will mention in passing.

My muse is certifiably insane… and I love her for it…

(Now, muse-chan, it's time for your meds…)

By the way, her name is Neeka…

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Harry Potter: Keeper of the Dark Heart

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 7: Dark Keeper Meets Dark Child

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, which belongs to J.K. Rowling, or W.I.T.C.H., which belongs (I think) to Disney and some European lady. This is based on the comic book version of W.I.T.C.H., not the cartoon version, or the kiddy book version. I ask any relatives reading this to never bring it up in my presence or I will cut you off from my will. Teen Titans belongs to DC comics and Time-Warner. You'll understand why I put that there when you read the next few paragraphs. **korrd**, I hope you like this...

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"Is it done yet?" Cassidy asked. Her voice echoed throughout the chamber.

"In a minute!" Harry said irritably, careful not to damage the part he was working on.

"Well, hurry it up!" Cassidy whined.

Harry sighed. He didn't need this. Bad enough he'd lost the Quidditch match just because of the Dementors. Bad enough he had lots of homework. He didn't need to endure this too!

Trying not to let it get to him, Harry fitted the last piece into place, sighing in relief when it fitted perfectly. Finally! He'd been at it for hours! He hadn't used magic, either wand or Dark Keeper, to do this, as he was afraid of what the residue might do to the finished product. To be on the safe side, he'd done it all by hand, transporting/teleporting/transpositioning/body-flickering/whatever out of Hogwarts to buy the tools and parts he needed. Thankfully, one of the old Dark Keepers had been a toy maker, the old kind who made things out of wood. Ghep's knowledge had been recorded in the Dark Heart, allowing Harry access to it. He was fairly sure the Hogwarts library didn't have any books on carving, sewing or puppet making.

Laying down the finished product on the worktable, he stepped back, admiring his work. The torches were a little dim, so he increased their flame a little with a mental command and a little Dark Keeper magic, increasing the light level so he could see it better. The Chamber of Secrets wasn't exactly lit to be a showroom.

After he'd Kentucky fried the Basilisk, he'd decided to claim the Chamber as his own, since, hey, he was the only person who knew how to get down there. No one else knew how to do so. It took a Parselmouth to open the doors that led down here, after all, and so far, he and Moldy Voldie, wherever the old bastard was, were it.

He'd decorated the room over time, using the Dark Heart to materialize items he'd seen in catalogues. It was where he kept the figurines and stuff he'd bought, since he very well couldn't explain their presence if he put them up in the dorm, and no way was he keeping them at Privet Drive! He even had a huge flat screen and entertainment system that worked, again courtesy of his Dark Keeper magic. Magic can't interfere with magic DVD players, speakers, etc.

With the light level up, he was able to properly appreciate what he'd labored to make. It was a super deformed wooden figure, obviously female, made of wood. It was dressed up in a Guardian outfit, which Harry had copied off Cassidy's and sewn himself. There were almost as many points of articulation on the figure as there were in a human body. Even the eyelids opened and closed, and the wide glass eyes would rotate completely. And it was to be Cassidy's new body.

He'd gotten the idea from reading **_Negima_**. Evangeline's Ministra were puppets after all. Well, technically, Chachamaru Karakuri is a robot, and Chachamaru Zero is the only real puppet, but they're technically both puppets.

Ahem.

Anyway, Harry had gotten the idea of making Cassidy a puppet body, at least until he could manage to make her a flesh and blood body. While a flesh and blood body technically wasn't too hard, as he made those whenever he made Astral Drones, he needed to make a body that wouldn't fade away on Cassidy. And for that, he'd need to find out more. Hence, the temporary body while he stewed and thought of how to approach the problem.

"Is it done _now_?" Cassidy asked.

Harry sighed and reminded himself why he was doing this. "Yes, it's done. _Now_ will you shut up?"

He heard the pout in her voice. "You're mean, Harry."

Making the body from scratch had taken a while, and Harry had decided to reveal his identity to Cassidy just to make things easier. He'd revealed everything, actually, deciding also to use her reaction to gauge how telling the W.I.T.C.H. girls would go. So now she knew his name was Harry, and that he was a wizard, and he went to wizard school, etc.

She'd been very surprised to hear there was a magical underground community in her own world she didn't know about. All the Guardians had thought magic only existed _outside_ of Earth. Still, her shock hadn't lasted long. Within days, she'd been back to pestering him about her body. Still, despite the pestering, Harry and Cassidy had managed to become very good friends.

Grabbing Cassidy's crystal, Harry placed it around the puppet's neck. As a joke, he'd crafted a metal frame around it, making it look like the Heart of Kandrakar. It had seemed appropriate.

That done, Harry summoned the Dark Heart into being, clasping it in both hands. Concentrating, he wove his magic, drawing out Cassidy's essence/self/soul/whatever from the crystal, and trying to put it in the puppet. He tried to apply what he thought he'd been able to gleam from Tridart and Ember. Nerissa had been able to create two physical beings out of just magic and building material. He was trying to bond Cassidy to a body. While it seemed different, it boiled down to the same thing: animating an inanimate object.

Harry felt Cassidy settling into the puppet, and he allowed himself a sigh of relief. Quickly, he started locking her down into the puppet the same way he locked her into the crystal, then modifying the lock. Finally, he placed his hand on the puppet's chest. The place he touched started to glow, and a shape like the Heart of Kandrakar appeared, like the one tattooed on the side of the Oracle's head, except this one was purest white, outlined by black lines. This one was flipped, however. The curve was on the other side.

It was the symbol of the Dark Heart and by extension the Dark Keepers. It was called the Seal of Darkness.

As soon as the symbol glowed, Harry let go. The Seal glowed one last time before fading away.

The 'puppet' jerked, than sat up abruptly. Wooden eyelids opened, revealing suddenly vibrant glass eyes.

"Welcome back, Cassidy," Harry said.

The Guardian was back.

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It didn't take long for Cassidy to get used to her new body. Harry had done a very good job. Too good. Although the her body was made of wood, Cassidy felt pain when she was scratched. It didn't go away until Harry agreed to 'heal' her. Further scratches indicated Cassidy could 'heal' on her own, as said scratches eventually disappeared.

With Cassidy's new body, Harry was able to make a deal with his conscience allowing him to take a break. He didn't _need_ to get Cassidy a new human body right away, and even Cassidy admitted she wasn't in any hurry, quite satisfied with the body he'd made.

This gave him an excuse to try out something he'd wanted to do for a while...

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"You sure about this?" Cassidy said, hanging off the top of his head. It seemed he wasn't the only one who'd gotten ideas from **_Negima_**.

"Positive," Harry said. "The temporal warp I've set up will make it so that no matter how long we're out, we'll arrive only nanoseconds after we left. It'll be like we were never gone!"

"Fine," Cassidy said, rolling her glass eyes. "On _your_ head be it."

"It's _always_ on my head!" Harry retorted as he transformed into his 'Morpheus' outfit. Materializing the Dark Heart, he said, "Hold on."

Cassidy's hold on his head tightened fractionally. It would have to do.

In a swirl of black mist, they were gone, off to explore the multiverse...

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Kandrakar was supposedly in the center of infinity, and hence the multiverse. As such, that was Harry and Cassidy's first stop. They didn't go into the fortress itself, appearing just outside it.

"Okay, where to now?" Cassidy asked.

"How about Metamoor?" Harry suggested. "I've heard Meridian's a lot nicer now that the girls managed to get rid of the blond drag-queen in a dress."

Cassidy laughed. "Interesting way of describing Phobos."

"Why, thank you," Harry said. "Shall we?"

"Lets."

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**_"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_** Harry yelled, running for dear life.

**_"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_** Cassidy agreed, holding on for dear wooden life.

Sharvaks. Nasty things. Native to Metamoor, sharvaks are fierce predators with very thick hides. Thankfully for the subjects of the Light of Meridian, sharvaks live in remote regions where people seldom go.

Where do _you _think Harry and Cassidy landed?

Yup, you guessed it. It's tough being the Boy-Who-Lived.

Eventually, Harry remembered he had the Dark Heart hanging around his neck. How he missed it is anyone's guess. Fortunately, he remembered in time to get Cassidy and himself out of there before they got ripped to shreds.

Unfortunately, they somehow managed to bring a few sharvaks with them.

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"Where are we?" Cassidy asked.

"Beats me," Harry said, moving out of the way of a sharvak's snapping jaws. "But the energies remind me of the zone outside the Fortress of Kandrakar."

Then Harry blinked. "Hmm. That's weird. It feels like there are _two _Kandrakars."

Cassidy looked at him funny, which is pretty hard to do with a puppet's face. "How so?"

Harry frowned. "I'm not sure. It almost feels like..."

Harry's eyes suddenly narrowed. Grasping the Dark Heart in both hands, he combined it's power with his, sending out feelers in all directions. He felt searching, trying to make sense of what his sense had told him...

Harry opened his eyes in shock. Throwing back his head, he laughed. He laughed and laughed and laughed. Cassidy looked at him worriedly, wondering if he'd gotten unhinged.

Eventually, his laughs blew themselves out. "They're wrong," Harry wheezed. "It's not at the center. Not even close."

"Huh?" Cassidy said eloquently.

Grinning, Harry began to explain...

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Cassidy rubbed her head, then remembered it was made of wood, and that massaging it would be a useless gesture. "So you're telling me that Kandrakar _is_ at the center of _a_ multiverse, just not _the_ multiverse?"

"Exactly!" Harry said. "It's like the way the sun is in the center of the solar system, but not the galaxy. We're currently in a kind of 'space' between multiverses."

Cassidy looked around. "So that means there are a lot of places Kandrakar has no authority over."

Harry nodded again. "An infinity of infinities minus the infinity around Kandrakar."

"Whoa," Cassidy said. "That's a lot of places."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. Then he grinned. "Wanna go exploring?"

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The good news: Harry and Cassidy managed to use the Dark Heart to get to a universe that, by some weird standard that Harry really couldn't quantify, was really far from Kandrakar.

The bad news: the sharvaks came with them.

The minute Harry realized this, Harry grabbed Cassidy and took to the air, out of the range of the sharvaks' jaws. The reptilian creatures tried to get at them, jumping as high as their short legs and low centers of gravities would allow.

"Whew!" Cassidy said. "That was close."

Harry, however, was looking concerned. "I think we just made a horrible mistake."

"Besides you bringing them along with us?" Cassidy said pointedly.

"If we let them run loose, what's to stop them from running towards the nearest town and killing everyone in their path? Harry said rhetorically.

"You're not saying what I think you're saying…" Cassidy said.

"Can you still use your element?" Harry said as he began charging up his ice in one hand, all the while slowly going lower.

"I-I think so," Cassidy said.

"Good."

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Raven Azar, also known as Harry Potter, son of the demon Trigon, the Boy-Who-Lived, was walking through an isolated corner of the Scottish countryside as he thought of where he'd go that summer. After finishing his second year at Hogwarts, where nothing interesting had happened save his killing a Basilisk the night of the sorting ceremony, and freeing a House-Elf named Dobby, Raven was off to see the world again. He was considering returning to Gotham City to look check up on Pam and Harley when a powerful burst of magic made itself known to his senses.

Raven frowned in the direction he'd felt the magic coming from. He could tell just from the intensity alone it wasn't any wand magic known to the Wizarding Community. No spell, not even the really powerful ones Dumbledore knew, could be _that _strong. In fact, there were very few spells Raven knew- and he knew a lot- that could be felt that far and not leave a secondary trace, such as darkening or colored skies, pillars of light or darkness, etc. The only spells he could think of that could be that big and not leave visual evidence that can be seen for miles were…

Raven's eyes widened at the realization.

…interplanar portals.

Such as the one that took him from Azarath to Earth. That could take one from nearly anywhere else to nearly anywhere else.

Raven nearly frowned as he considered. Deciding it would be best if he investigated, as in this day and age there was a very good chance it could be an army of what-have-you bent on slaughter and conquest, Raven took out his meditation mirror from his pocket and stuffed his backpack into it, drawing out his blue cloak. Wrapping the cloak around himself, Raven made sure to keep his face hooded and in shadow. At best, only his mouth would be seen.

While he didn't consider himself some kind of superhero, Raven valued his relative anonymity among the rest of the non-Wizarding World. He wasn't about to let anyone know who he was if he could help it, and he'd found out long ago wearing his cloak would help him reach that goal.

Making sure his cloak was secure, Raven teleported towards where he had felt the energies, reappearing about a hundred meters away, on the other side of a wooded hill. Taking to the skies, Raven flew over the flora and checked out the situation.

His eyebrow rose slightly at what he saw, but he really couldn't- and wouldn't- bring himself to be surprised. It had been within the realm of possibility, after all.

A being in black who positively _reeked_ of some kind of magic Raven couldn't identify- strange, but not surprising- was floating around, blasting darkly hued beams of ice and energy at several large, reptilian creatures that were not of the Earth. Well, not _now_, anyway. They might have fit in during the Cretaceous period. Several of the creatures were already down, looking like they'd been burn to a crisp, or encased in solid blocks of ice so cold, Raven could see them freezing the ground around them. Still, only a relative handful of the creatures were thus. They seemed to be very strong, managing to break out of ice the one in black was blasting at them before it became thick enough to hold them. The one in black couldn't concentrate long enough to freeze them completely because the other creatures were constantly attacking him, making him loose focus as he tried to dodge their attacks and forcing him to concentrate on the closer threats.

A movement caught Raven's eye, and his eyebrow rose slightly again. What looked like a little wooden doll dressed in shades of green and purple was running around trying not to be eaten, stomped on, or otherwise harmed by the reptiles, while throwing occasional streams of fire and blasts of orange energy at them. Raven assumed it was responsible for the ones that had been burnt. Sadly, it looked like the creatures were thick skinned enough to survive her blasts, as the ones she hit roared and stumbled for only a short while before charging back again.

For a moment, Raven hesitated, but decided it best to help as he watched the one in black nearly struck by a flailing tail. Swooping down, he concentrated, muttering his words of power.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…"

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Harry barely dodged the sharvak's tail, leaping over it, only to nearly get his leg ripped off by another sharvak's jaws. This was getting ridiculous! He was the bearer of one of the most powerful magical sources of power in the known multiverse, darn it! He should _not_ be having this much trouble dealing with a bunch of overgrown iguanas!

The prickling up his spine was the only warning he had. He turned, in time to see a sharvak launch itself at him at nearly point blank range. Harry charged his arm, but didn't raise it, as his survival instinct prevented him from thrusting his arm towards the sharvak's jaws. He heard Cassidy cry out as she saw.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…"

The words were barely audible to Harry, and he didn't recognize them as any spell or incantation he or the Dark Heart knew- and the Dark Heart knew a lot- but the effect was immediate. A dark nimbus surrounded the sharvak, and it hung suspended in midair, barely three inches from Harry.

A rather delayed reaction came through, and Harry jumped back, blasting the sharvak with ice at point blank range. It froze its head completely, and the sharvak's body started struggling as it was suddenly deprived of air. Harry suddenly had an epiphany. He grinned, realizing he had a way of beating these things. Concentrating his power, he sent out a burst of air, throwing the sharvak's back a little and giving him some breathing room.

"A little help here!" Cassidy yelled as she ran as fast as her little wooden legs could carry her.

Harry suppressed a grin, but before he could do anything, another dark nimbus surrounded Cassidy, pulling her out of harms way and sending her flying towards Harry. She slowed down at the last minute, dropping lightly at Harry's feet.

Thanks," Cassidy said, brushing off her clothes as best as she could with her little wooden fingers.

"It wasn't me," Harry said.

Cassidy blinked. "Then who…?"

"Do you need any help?" a voice literally from above said.

Both Harry and Cassidy looked up as the sharvaks circled warily. A being in a long blue cloak, his face shadowed by its hood, floated above them, descending to land by their side.

Harry blinked, but recovered quickly. He smiled in greeting, hopping his dark-glamoured eyes wouldn't frighten the person in the cloak. Somehow, he didn't think so. "It would be very much appreciated."

The cloaked figure nodded, settling down beside them, and standing back to back with them, facing the sharvaks. The three of them formed a protective circle, keeping their backs protected.

"What now, fearless?" Cassidy said.

"Choke them," Harry said. "Aim for their faces. Their jaws don't have the strength to crack my ice, and their front claws don't have enough leverage for it. If I can freeze their heads, they're dead."

"Is that really necessary?" the cloaked figure said.

"These things are called sharvaks," Harry explained, tensing as the reptiles started approaching. "They're predators from a place called the Metamoor, which we had the unfortunate luck of bringing along. They _have_ to be killed, or else they'll probably rampage through the countryside eating anything in their paths, and I'm not sure if the local authorities have the power to stop them."

"They do," the cloaked figure said, his hands glowing slightly. "But I see your point. No need for people to be hurt unnecessarily. And I doubt the Ministry of Magic will know how to deal with these things right away."

Harry looked at the him sharply when he mentioned the Ministry of Magic, but he decided this wasn't the time to ask. Filing it for later, he pointed at the two nearest sharvaks and blasted their faces with ice, making sure to get their mouths and nostrils. The two began shaking their head violently, trying to free themselves, but to no avail. Harry switched targets, aiming for the next nearest. Beside him, Cassidy tried to use the force of her flames and beams to push the sharvaks back, although this started enraging them. The doll-bodied Guardian decided to change tactics, concentrating her fire on a single sharvak and trying to incinerate it. It was slower, but it the most effective thing Cassidy could do.

The cloaked figure raised his arms towards the sharvaks. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

Dark bubbles of energy appeared around several sharvaks heads, and they started clawing at their heads as well, trying frantically to get back air. Their efforts were in vain, however. The black bubbles let their claws in, but kept air out, and they ended up clawing and cutting their heads, leaving tracks of blood that multiplied as they became more frantic from loss of air…

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It took the three of them some time to kill all the sharvaks. In the end, however, the three of them were still standing, which was more than could be said for the sharvaks, all of which were twitching corpses on the ground, many with their heads in blocks of ice, although a lot more were just dead there. A few other had even been incinerated, although there weren't a lot of those.

"There, there Cass," the one in black said as he comforted the little wooden doll. "It's alright, you're safe now."

"Bwah!" the doll- Cassidy- bawled. "It was horrible! It had me in its mouth and everything! Oh, the horror! I'll never forget its breath for as long as I live!"

Raven gave a _very_ small sigh, shaking his head from side to side fractionately. Cassidy had nearly been eaten, and all she could think about was the memory of its _breath_? Every time he thought he understood emotional beings, they managed to confuse him even more.

Raven stood there as Cassidy continued bawling, and the one in black continued comforting her. Eventually, the doll quieted down, and the one in black turned towards Raven, a welcoming smile on his face. Dark purple eyes met voids of darkness as the other extended his hand.

"Thanks for your help," the dark one said as Raven shook his hand hesitantly, not wanting to seem rude.

"You're welcome," Raven said.

"So, you got a name, cutey?" Cassidy said. The dark one gave her a wry look.

"My name is Raven," Raven introduced himself. "Raven Azar."

"Pleasure to meet you, Raven," the dark one said. "This little doll here is Cassidy- um…"

"Cassidy Drake," the doll supplied. "Yo!"

"Cassidy Drake," the dark one nodded. "And I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

Raven froze. "What?"

"Harry Potter," the dark one said easily.

"No," Raven said. "You're not. _I'm_ Harry Potter."

So saying, Raven pulled back his hood, revealing his slightly grayish face. His scar was highly visible on his forehead.

The dark one stepped back in astonishment. "Whoa!" he breathed. Cassidy blinked rapidly, looking at one face to the other. Shakily, the dark one waved his hand, and Raven felt a burst of magic as glamours were removed. A boy about his height and age suddenly stood before him, instead of the older youth from before. _His_ face looked at him in astonishment, green eyes he remembered from Lily Potter shining like emeralds on the other's face, James Potter's unruly black hair framing a face that wasn't the least bit gray. A lightning-bolt-shaped scar stood prominently on his forehead.

Raven was aware of Cassidy looking quickly between the two of them, blinking rapidly, before shaking her head in bewilderment. "Okay, I'm confused!"

The one who claimed to be Harry Potter also looked surprised, and slightly uncomfortable. Raven was busily crushing his own discomfort. "I think we need to talk…" 'Harry Potter' said.

Raven nodded brusquely. "I believe we should…"

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Later, after sunset, the three sat around the fire Cassidy had conjured. It just floated there, burning in midair, not fueled by anything except magic. There was no danger of it burning anything, yet the heat it radiated was very comforting in the night's chill.

Cassidy was sitting with a rather dazed look on her wooden face, which was pretty hard for a doll to pull off. She'd just had to sit through two angst-y life stories, and she really couldn't tell which one had it worse. The only thing that could probably top it is if, after his parents had been killed by an evil wizard, he'd been sent to live with a warm, supportive family who'd been killed right before his very eyes by someone he considered a brother.

"So," Harry- at least, she assumed it was Harry, since he was wearing black- said. "No emotions, huh? That's got to be a rotten deal."

Raven, still in his blue cloak, looked at him sideways. "Being regarded as a horrible monster simply because you were chosen to bear a magical artifact when you were born without your consent does not seem so pleasant either."

Harry smiled wryly. "At least as I was able to negotiate that little problem away. They still don't really trust me, but I'm working on that."

They lapsed into silence once more.

"I can't call you 'Harry Potter'," Raven said.

'Harry' chuckled. "Yeah, it _would_ be weird to call someone your own name, wouldn't it? Why don't you call me…" he considered, stroking the Dark Heart, which still hung around his neck after he'd shown it to Raven. "…Keeper. After all, I _am_ Keeper of the Dark Heart."

Raven nodded. "Very well… Keeper."

Silence descended once more.

Cassidy felt like sighing. They still had a long way to go…

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Raven woke up the next day lying on a strange bed. It took him a moment to remember exactly _why_ he was on a bed that looked like it was made completely from leaves, wood, and grass, looking like it had grown into a bed from a seed. And technically it had. Last night, after eating a meager supper of fruits that the other Harry- Keeper, Raven corrected himself- had created, the other boy had used his magic to create a kind of plant 'house'.

Noticing that the other bed was empty, the giant leaf that Keeper had used as a blanket- Raven had preferred his cloak- lying half on and half off. Unwrapping his cloak from himself and putting it on the way it was supposed to go, Raven stepped out of the organic shelter, into the misty dawn chill.

Cassidy looked up from the wood fire she was tending. "Mornin' Raven! Harr- uh, _Keeper_ went off to get some fish for breakfast. Said he felt a stream or something near here. In the meantime, he left you a couple for fruits and berries to munch on while you're waiting."

Raven nodded, settling down next to her close to the fire for warmth and reaching for an apple. "Do you prefer anything in particular?" Raven asked, offering her first pick if she already hadn't taken anything.

Cassidy shook her head. "I don't need to eat," she said, sounding a little regretful, but not much, as if remembering a brand that they didn't make anymore. "Dolls really don't have much in the way of digestive tracts."

"I see," Raven said, taking a bite of his chosen fruit. The skin wasn't very tough, and the inside was firm, but juicy.

Raven had started on his second apple when Keeper finally appeared, carrying to fish that Raven could tell had already been cleaned and gutted. "Breakfast is here!" Keeper said, sticking the sticks he'd thrust the fish through into the ground next to the fire so they could cook. Raven felt a little magic coming from Cassidy as she increased the heat of the flames so that the fish would cook faster. For a while, the three just sat there, listening to the fish cook.

"Hey, Raven," Keeper suddenly said, causing the half-demon boy to look at him. "Do you mind if Cassidy and I tag along with you for a while? We really don't need to be anywhere. That is, if you don't mind the company."

"I don't mind," Raven said. "But why?"

Keeper shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'm curious about you. It's not everyday you meet an alternate version of yourself."

"I admit, I _am_ a little curious as to you as well," Raven said. "Are you sure you won't mind? I am not exactly… sociable."

"You're sociable enough for me," Keeper said, waving it off. "Cass?"

"Sure!" Cassidy said. "It'll be fun to get around again!"

"Then it's settled!" Keeper declared, grabbing a now-cooked fish and biting into it. His eyes bugged out. "OUCH! HOT, HOT, HOT!"

Cassidy giggled as Raven quashed the urge to roll his eyes. This looked to be interesting…

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**- To be continued... DEFINITELY!**

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A/N: And now you guys know why I've been taking so long with Raven. –_grins_– I wanted to have _this_ out before Raven Four, hence the long wait. Apologies to Raven's fans, but this chap has been in the works even _before_ I wrote the first chapters of Raven or Dark Heart. Now you have an idea how fast and how far my muse works. It's hard channeling her, but _so_ worth it!

Why did I write this? Because I could! Besides, they're **_MY_** fics! I can do what I want with them!

The Dark Heart balances the Heart of Kandrakar just by existing. It doesn't need to be in the same universe.

Sharvaks were shown on issue 40. There were only about two panels, but since Phobos trained them to rampage through Meridian, they can't be nice.

Cassidy was either the Guardian of Fire or Water before she became Keeper. I chose Fire. The Cornelia/Caleb Love Special (more like Caleb-bashing, angst special, if you ask me!) showed that powers can be passed around, as there, Will became Guardian of Earth and Orube became Keeper of the Heart.

Yeah, I screamed a lot of obscenities when I saw that too.

Anyway, she still has fire magic, but only about as much as Taranee can do untransformed, max. Normal level is a lot less.

Please review, C&C welcome. Flames will be laughed at and completely ignored unless they bear the smallest smidgeon of constructive material. As usual, please indicate if you're male or female, just so I know and am not discouraged. Statistically, I can't be the only straight guy in the world who reads W.I.T.C.H.! For those of you who don't know who Raven is, check out my other fic, 'Harry Potter: Raven', on my profile page.

Up next: More Keeper and Raven, with Cassidy thrown in for kicks! Raven fans, PUT THIS ON ALERTS!

Until next time, this is Shadow, signing off.


	8. Snapshots of Summer

A/N: I would like to take this opportunity to pimp **Sokai**'s very cute, if slightly long-winded (which I like), but still villain-less HP/SM/W.I.T.C.H. fic, **_Worlds Collided_**, and **JuMiKu**'s fic, **_Ebony Riddle and the truth about the boy-who-died_**. Read them and leave reviews, since the stories are very nice.

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Harry Potter: Keeper of the Dark Heart

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 8: Snapshots of Summer

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, which belongs to J.K. Rowling, Teen Titans, who belong to DC, or W.I.T.C.H., which belongs (I think) to Disney and some European lady. This is based on the comic book version of W.I.T.C.H., not the cartoon version, or the kiddy book version. I ask any relatives reading this to never bring it up in my presence or I will cut you off from my will. This is a crossover with my other fic, **_Harry Potter: Raven_**. If you're curious about things, read it in my profiles page.

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Cassidy winced as Keeper was sent flying through the air by yet another burst of dark telekinetic energy. Raven winced as well, something Cassidy carefully took note of. Well, at least the half-demon boy was wincing now. An emotional reaction if she ever saw one. They were making _some_ progress, although to an outsider it probably wouldn't look like it.

Harry- _Keeper_, Cassidy corrected herself- screamed, moaned, then hissed in pain for a few seconds, snapping his dislocated leg, arm, elbow, fingers and ribs back into place by himself. After the past few days of this, Keeper could set his own bones back by himself. It was always accompanied by sounds that seemed appropriate for a horror movie.

"I'm alright!" the Dark Keeper said after a little while, and Cassidy relaxed a little again. Granted, she didn't have muscles _to_ tense any more, but she could swear she'd felt herself stiffen. Although how wood could stiffen, she had no idea.

They'd been at this for over a week and a half, ever since Raven had finally been convinced to let Keeper try and help him control his powers so he could learn to express a _tad_ bit more emotion. Which involved getting him to feel emotions without his powers getting berserk (or at least, _too _berserk). So far, they had wincing safely controlled, although attempts at getting Raven to laugh at jokes still had painful consequences for Keeper. Cassidy would have said he was nuts if she hadn't known he was always like this. Although that _could_ mean he was always nuts…

Shaking her head to get back to the matter at hand, she watched as Keeper shakily got back to his feet. The boy was made of diamond! Nothing could scratch him! Heck, one time, he'd dislocated his neck and just popped it back on again. It was scary!

"Maybe you should rest," Raven said as Keeper came back, walking almost normally again. Normally as in he walked with extreme pain and was dragging his still twisted left foot, which he popped back into place with a grimace and a kick at a rock.

"Oh, this is nothing," Keeper said for like the hundredth time. "Come one, let's keep working on this. Knock knock."

Raven sighed. "Who's there…?"

Cassidy moved a little farther back, and recalled how they ended up doing this…

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"_Absolutely no emotion, huh?" Keeper said as they walked down some obscure path. "Well, that's got to be tough, living like that."_

"_One manages," Raven said._

"_Still, it can't be easy," Cassidy said._

"_No, it is not," Raven confirmed._

"_Have you ever tried having emotions while keeping you powers in check?" Keeper asked. _

_Raven looked at him. "That is almost a contradiction of terms. Besides, there is no need. I choose to be like this. It is the only way. There is no need to try another course."_

_Keeper shrugged. "I guess you're right. I mean, it's not as if you promised anyone you'd try to feel emotions or anything, right?"_

_Raven was silent._

"…_right?"_

_Silence. _

_Cassidy looked at him. "You didn't make any promises, did you?"_

_Silence._

"_Hmmm," Keeper said, then thrust his fist into the sky. "THIS LOOKS LIKE A JOB FOR THE DARK KEEPER!"_

"_Um… what job?" Cassidy said._

_Silly her._

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"Man, this chocolate is _good_!" Keeper said as he and Raven walked down a street. Cassidy was being carried around inside Raven's backpack, which Keeper had magicked so that no one would notice the diminutive wooden Guardian inside. "I have _got_ to see if this store is around on my world."

A small smile played on Raven's lips. "I thought you'd like it. I gave some to Hermione last Christmas. If her moans were any indicator, I believe she also found it enjoyable."

No one would have thought that it had taken them nearly a month to get Raven up to 'smiling' level.

"Damn, I miss having a sense of taste!" Cassidy whimpered from inside the bag.

"I could try giving you one," Keeper said, "But you have a mouth made of wood, and I really don't think you'd want to be tasting toothpicks 24/7."

"Ugh. No thanks."

Weeks and weeks of work had finally allowed Raven to gain a higher level of control over his emotions/powers, although intense emotions still tended to mess up his control royally, as shown by the time Keeper had artificially kindled rage inside Raven and had nearly been crushed to a pulp by the resulting telekinetic backlash. Happiness at any level as still beyond anything Raven could control. The most Raven could drudge up were feelings of satisfaction and contentment. Still, now that he _could_ feel, he conceded that it was infinitely better than nothing.

So now, they were taking a break, with Raven showing Keeper around one of his favorite parts of Switzerland. Since both could teleport, travel had not been a problem. So far, they'd been to Paris, Madrid, Rome, Egypt, and through some misunderstanding, Madagascar. They'd now moved back up north, for no other reason except that they could and they wanted to.

"I don't see why you had to insist on helping me control my emotions," Raven said suddenly as if it were a topic they'd been discussing just now.

"Let's just say I have experience with promises to those who pass on," Keeper said dryly. "A promise like _that_ is the reason that Cass here is a little wooden girl."

"I appreciate your sensitivity," she said in the same tone.

"I'll make you a biological body," Keeper said in mild exasperation. "But there's no rush, right?"

"Nope," she confirmed. "No rush."

"Good," Keeper breathed with and hint- or at least a hope- of finality. "Because I still have to research a way to do it that doesn't hint of the Dark Arts. Or even vaguely _related_ to it."

"Still, why?" Raven persisted. He was good at that. "Why help me in this manner?"

Keeper was silent for a moment, obviously trying to frame his response. "I know how important it is to fulfill a promise. Especially someone's dying wish. It's like an insult to their memory if you don't. This woman, Azar, she obviously cared deeply about you. And I know it must have pained you not to be able to do as she asked."

"I didn't 'do' pain then," Raven said.

Keeper chuckled. "Sure you didn't, Rae. Sure you didn't…"

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"**_AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!_**" Keeper screamed.

"**_AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!_**!" Cassidy agreed.

The two stood frozen as they stared at the big dragon in front of them. Going to Romania was starting to look like a bad idea.

Raven, however, tilted his head, a surprised look on his face, or at least as surprised as _he_ ever got. "Norbert?"

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Keeper laughed as Cassidy ran past, waving her arms around widely, followed by Azar, who kept on pecking at her head, trying to pull off the red strands that made up her 'hair'. "GET IT OFF ME, GET IT OFF ME, GET IT OFF MEEEEE!"

"Is your hair strawberry flavored, Cass?" Keeper chortled out.

"THIS ISN'T FUNNY POTTER!"

Raven wasn't laughing, but he _was_ smiling...

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"HEY, STOP IT!" Keeper cried a few minutes later as Cassidy chased him around with fireballs.

"YOU THINK IT'S FUNNY BEING CHASED AROUND, DO YOU?" Cassidy cried. "LET'S SEE HOW _YOU_ LIKE IT!"

Raven sweatdropped. Who knew she had a temper?

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"This is pointless," Raven said as he stood patiently, letting Keeper adjust his clothes.

Keeper merely grinned, not looking up what he, currently she, was doing. "Now, now, if you want to be able to understand and control your own emotions, you have to…oh, okay, I can't really think up any justification for this, but trust me, it'll be fun!"

"You said that about going to Romania," Raven said sarcastically as Keeper made sure his bun was properly secured.

"I'm almost sorry we taught you sarcasm," Keeper said, moving a strand of blonde hair out of her eye, before grinning. "Almost. And _you_ look perfect! All you need now is that mask!"

Raven sighed, taking the mask Keeper offered him and putting it over his face. The eye-holes, though narrow, were close enough to his eyes to afford him almost as wide a field of vision as he normally had, and breathing wasn't really a problem.

"Excellent!" Keeper said, clasping her hands together against her cheek and tilting her head to one side. "You make a perfect Haku!"

"Raven, can you _please_ get this pet of yours off of me?" Cassidy complained from where she was sitting.

Raven held out his arm. "Here, Azar," he commanded. Azar gave one last pull of Cassidy's tiara before flitting off to Raven's arm.

Cassidy grumbled as she settled the tiara back on her head. "I swear, that bird has it in for me," she grubled.

"Gee, you think?" Keeper said as she tried to pull her skirt a little lower. Although the outfit she picked was conservative- for her character, anyway- the hem ran a little _too_ high for her sensibilities.

"I still say that outfit looks pretty slutty," Cassidy said.

"Don't you think I _know_ that?" Keeper said, finally giving up the attempt. The skirt was as low as it would go. Heck, any more, and her underwear would be showing through a totally different place. What _was_ it with Akamatsu? "Come on up."

Cassidy carefully clambered up Keeper's head and held on. The ex-Guardian was wearing a black 'dress' with a tie and shawl-like piece. A maid's tiara stuck on her now-green hair, and antenna-like projections stuck on her ears. Black mini-bat wings stuck out her back, on to which a gigantic, kitchen knife-like sword was strapped on.

Keeper was wearing a sleeveless, formfitting black blouse with a sailor collar and black tie. A black mini-skirt and mid-thigh high black stockings completed the ensemble. Her hair was now knee-length and blonde, eyes blue. A pair of old-lady spectacles rested on her nose.

After one final check, Evangeline "Dark Evangel" A.K. MacDowell, Chachazero and Haku walked into the anime convention. No one really noticed, although Keeper got a lot of complements over her figure, and people wondered why Haku had a crow (and were promptly told it was a raven).

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Cassidy looked from Raven, to Keeper, and back again. "Tell me again _why_ you guys are dong this?" she said.

Raven tested his wand, making a few gestures and practiced a few minor spells. "Catharsis," he said.

Keeper entwined his fingers and stretched them over his head, turning his head around a couple of times. "It's a guy thing. You wouldn't understand," he said as he threw his trench coat to one side.

"Obviously," Cassidy said, sitting down wearily and swatting at Azar every so often at keep her from eating her hair.

Keeper and Raven faced each other, and there was a small smile on both their faces. "Ready?" Keeper said.

"Ready," Raven confirmed, raising his wand in salute. Keeper did the same. Both looked at Cassidy expectantly.

She sighed one last time. "Begin."

"Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!"

"RAIKIRI!"

And the battle was joined…

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_**Raven, Keeper, and Cassidy had many more adventures, misadventures and private moments and revelations that summer, but all good things have to end. Before they knew it, it was almost September…**_

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"It's been fun, Rae," Keeper said as he, Raven and Cassidy stood on an empty field a few miles away from the outskirts of London. He held out his hand towards the other boy.

The half-demon gave a small half-smile as he took it, shaking it lightly. "I'll miss you. Both of you."

Cassidy smiled, sadly, and wished she could cry. She knew she wanted to. "We know," she said as she held up her arms to the taller figure. Bending down, Raven picked her up and gave her a hug. His eyes stung ever so slightly, but he restrained it. His control might not be as tough as it used to, and paradoxically, tougher than ever before, but he wasn't going to let himself cry, if only because it would blind him from seeing his friends.

After a while, he let go, handing Cassidy off to Keeper, who strapped her on to his back with a cord such that she was looking over his shoulder. His smile had become bittersweet, he realized. All of their smiles had. "Will we ever see each other again?"

Keeper got a thoughtful look in his eye. "Hold out your hand."

Taking the proffered hand in his own, Keeper summoned the Dark Heart into existence. Holding it in the other, he closed his eyes, concentrating what he wanted, fusing the Heart's power with his as he molded the magic.

A coldness burned in Raven's palm, a cool, comforting chill, one that felt like the heart of winter and as comfortable as a hug. It didn't hurt, exactly, but it felt like it should.

Keeper withdrew his hand, and Raven stared. Burned- chilled?- into his hand was a symbol shaped like the Dark Heart, drawn in white the shade of new-fallen snow, outlined in black of a starless, moonless night. It was a small thing in the center of his palm, barely as long as his thumb. He flexed his fingers. There was no change in his dexterity.

"That is called the Seal of Darkness. It stands for the Dark Heart and it's Keepers," Keeper said as Raven looked up from his inspection. "If you ever want to talk to us, just breathe on it and wish. We'll answer."

"Can you?" Raven said. "It takes powerful magic to pierce the walls of reality. Even _I_ wouldn't be able to follow you once you leave the area that surrounds the universes around this world."

Keeper grinned. "That's what the Dark Heart is for, _mon ami_," he said, holding out the pendant.

There was a semi-awkward silence.

"Be seeing you, Raven Azar, also known as Harry Potter," Keeper said.

"Take care, Harry Potter, Keeper of the Dark Heart," Raven replied. "May you be able to taste again someday, Cassidy, Guardian of Kandrakar."

"May you fulfill your promise some day, Raven of Azarath," Cassidy said.

In a swirl of black mist, they were gone, and Raven stood alone in the field…

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"Where are we?" Cassidy said. They were standing in what looked like a stockroom.

A teenaged boy suddenly appeared, wearing a bandanna on his head, and carrying a small broom and cloth. "Hey, what are you doing here? Are you here to talk to Yuko-san about something?"

"Um…" Keeper said.

"Um…" Cassidy said. "Is that a _fox_ on your shoulder?"

The pipe-fox spirit squinted…

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Raven looked up into the night sky, a serene smile on his face. Idly, he traced the outline of the Seal of Darkness in his right palm as he mused. Just breathe on it and wish, Keeper had said…

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**- To be continued...**

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A/N: you know, I've always seen Harry as a black haired version of Kaworu Nagisa. I have no idea why…

And that comment really was no business being there, does it? Oooh, pointless drabble.

I _think_ Chachazero's hair is green too…

The Evangeline outfit is the one found in volume seven, page 131, or around there, anyway…

Raven is not powerful enough to go to Keeper's home world. He _might_ (still deciding) be able to cross to 'nearby' (relatively speaking) dimensions, but only the Dark Heart (and something else) has the power to _really_ pierce reality so that _really_ long range travel is possible. If that doesn't make sense, think about it like this: 'mini' mulitverses are arranged in 'clusters'. Raven might be able to travel to the dimensions around his 'cluster', but to be able to get to the _other_ clusters outside his own, he'll need the power of the Dark Heart. Keeper and Cassidy is from another 'cluster' entirely, so Raven can't get to them, but they can get to him with the Dark Heart's power.

This is just useless technical jargon in case anyone asks. I'm crazy that way. Still confusing? Then try not to think about it.

Oh, and I know almost nothing about **_XXXHolic_** but the basic concept. So nothing about that, please.

I thank all the people who review. Sorry I can't list your names at the moment, but I'm experiencing technical difficulties. Please stand by.

Please review, C&C welcome.

Until next time, this is Shadow, signing off.


	9. Dark Keeper Meets Dark Heiress

A/N: I asked her permission, and she sportingly agreed. Ladies and gentlemen, my first crossover with the talented Lady **JuMiKu**!

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Harry Potter, or Ebony Riddle, or Cassandra Prewett, depending on whom you asked, was sneaking round and not feeling in such a good mood. It wasn't because of her bizarre circumstances- she really didn't think _too_ much of it anymore these days- that was troubling her, or the fact she was pretty much back to square one when it came to her friends. It had more to do with the fact that she was the only teenager left in 12 Grimmauld Place.

Hermione and the other Weasley children had gone back to the Burrow with Mrs. Weasley to pack it up and move a few things, which meant they'd be gone until tomorrow. The only ones left in the Order Headquarters were herself, Black and occasionally Snape. At that moment, the teenager was in the rather unusual position of wishing the Potions Master was there.

She really wished she didn't have to sneak down to the kitchen, but it was the only way. As far as she knew, the only one's in the house were Black and herself, and she really didn't want to run into him. Since none of her allies in the Order were currently present- Tonks was supposed to be here, but she was running late- Ebony didn't really want to tempt fate by encountering the man she once thought of as a surrogate father.

Seeing that the coast was clear, Ebony made her way towards the fridge. Looking over her shoulder as she opened it, she hoped there was something decent to eat- a not-fruitless hope, since Mrs. Weasley- _Aunt Molly_, she reminded herself sternly- did the cooking around here.

She was just about to reach for a little wrapped sandwich with her name on it- literally; it was in _Aunt Molly's _handwriting- when a cold voice behind her said, "Poisoning our food, are you?"

She spun. At the door to the kitchen stood Sirius Black, the absolute last person she wanted to see right then, second only to Voldemort. She froze, as she realized the two of them were alone in the room, in a house that was practically deserted. If something 'unfortunate' were to happen, there would be no one to stop him.

She unfroze when she heard voices filtering down the stairs behind Black, breathed a sigh of relief when she recognized them as Dumbledore's and Lupin's. Before she could fire anything back at Black, the two aforementioned, plus Snape- who hadn't been talking- entered the kitchen, apparently planning to continue their discussion there.

The two younger men stopped abruptly when they saw them in the same room, alone. Lupin's gaze automatically went to Ebony, as if checking to see if she was alright, while Snape glared at Black, who returned the expression in kind.

It was during this tense standoff that someone appeared in a swirl of black mist from the ceiling and crashed to the floor with a THUD and a loud "OUCH!"

Ebony blinked.

Dumbledore blinked.

Remus blinked.

Snape and Black kept on glaring at each other.

A small figure, looking much shorter than Ebony herself, was lying on the stone floor of the kitchen. The figure seemed dressed in all black, although it was hard to see for sure, since whoever it was was facedown on the ground. What looked like an extremely detailed wooden puppet, with red 'hair' and a green and purple outfit was strapped to the figure's back. Said figure groaned in pain.

Ironically, Black exclaimed exactly what Ebony was thinking, albeit a little differently.

"Death Eaters!" Black said, pulling out his wand and pointing his finger at Ebony. "You betrayed us!"

At his, however, the figure jumped to its feet, a wand out in it's- his, Ebony saw- hand. "Wha-? Death Eaters? Where?" he said, looking around frantically.

Ebony stared.

Dumbledore stared.

Remus stared.

Snape stared.

Black stared, his jaw dropped as far as it would go, looking like he'd been sucker-punched. Ebony wasn't so sure she didn't feel the same way.

Standing before them, dressed in a black shirt, cargo pants and Matrix-esque black coat, was a thirteen year-old Harry Potter.

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Harry Potter: Keeper of the Dark Heart

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 9: Dark Keeper Meets Dark Heiress

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, which belongs to J.K. Rowling, or W.I.T.C.H., which belongs (I think) to Disney and some European lady. This is based on the comic book version of W.I.T.C.H., not the cartoon version, or the kiddy book version. I ask any relatives reading this to never bring it up in my presence or I will cut you off from my will. Ebony and her world belongs to the Lady **JuMiKu**, which I am writing in with her kind permission. A warm round of applause all around!

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You'd think the first thing Harry would noticed would be the aura of Dark Magic in the air emanating from very close by. And yes, he _was _peripherally aware of it, but that wasn't it. The silence currently reigning was an overload of information. Just as Hay Lin saw visions and certain memories when she heard certain sounds, Harry did the opposite: he saw something's history from the very beginning in silences. And the history of this place was overwhelming.

One concept, however, stuck to him.

Black. This was the ancestral home of the Black's.

There was a noise, barely audible, but it broke the silence, dissolving he visions.

When he came back to himself, the first thing he saw was _his_ face.

"Black!" he swore, rage and fury filling him suddenly at the features. He forgot he was in another world not his own, forgot who he was, or that he even had the Dark Heart.

It saved a life.

"_Reducto_!" he cast, but the spell was suddenly diverted to the side by someone else. A disarming spell hit him, sending his wand flying and knocking him back into a wall. He took a step away from it, his back aching where Cassidy had come between him and the wall. He felt Cassidy drop off his back a split second before he was tackled to the ground by someone. They fell in a tangle, struggling against each other two children in a playground scuffle.

"Hey! Get off him!" he heard Cassidy say, and he wondered why she wasn't using her fire magic.

"Hold it, you!" a familiar voice said. "Ebony, get away, quickly! We have you covered."

One last shove, and sudden Harry wasn't wrestling with an enraged octopus any more. He immediately got to his feet, pushing off in the opposite direction…

… and found himself facing Professors Dumbledore, and Snape, both pointing their wands at him, Snape holding _his_ wand in his other hand. Behind them, Lupin was standing protectively in front of a girl with bright red hair.

"Merlin's beard…" Dumbledore breathed.

"Potter?" Snape said, in a strange voice that somehow managed to combine awe, fear, disbelief, surprise, incredulity, hate and a host of others.

"Professor, watch out behind you, it's Sirius Black!" Harry said, pointing behind them past Lupin and the girl.

Indeed, the man was standing right behind them, starring at him and wearing what Harry could only describe as a shell-shocked expression on his face, and no one seemed to care. Well, the redhead did. She noticeably shied away from him as he stepped around Lupin, still staring at Harry.

Harry instantly decided that whoever this girl was, he liked her.

Dumbledore, however, still didn't seem to care. Instead, he gave himself a slight shake of the head, before gazing at Harry with an intensity Harry had never seen before. "Who are you?"

Harry blinked. "Professor, _Sirius Black_ is right behind you-"

"I am aware of that," Dumbledore interrupted, the first time Harry could ever recall such a thing happening. "And I repeat: who are you?"

Harry glanced at Black, but he wasn't making any moves. Ah, what the heck. "My name is Harry Potter," he said, "and I'm from another universe."

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Ebony couldn't help but stare in astonishment as she listened to what the boy who said his name was Harry Potter had to say. Other universes. A place called Kandrakar. A powerful artifact called the Dark Heart. Just when she thought life couldn't get any more messed up.

They had since gotten seated around the table, and even a blind man could see that the boy kept as far away from Black as possible, literally growling at him when he got too close. He kept an eye on Black all through his story, as if afraid the man would suddenly jump at him and cut his throat.

"Impossible," Snape had immediately declared after he had finished explaining, and the old face of dislike he used to wear when Ebony was still in her 'Harry' guise had finally made its reappearance.

The boy shrugged, managing to somehow keep an eye on Black and glare at Snape at the same time. "You're the Legilimens," he said dryly. "Try getting into my head. If you do, you'll only find proof I'm telling the truth. If you don't, how can a third-year- which, considering an hour's up and I'm still like this, means I'm not someone disguised with Polyjuice Potion- keep a _master_-" the sarcasm was plainly obvious "- like _you _out unless I'm as powerful as I claim the Dark Heart makes me?"

Ebony noticed he was pointedly maintaining eye contact with Snape, who looked away first.

"If you _are _who you say you are," Lupin said, "then what are you doing here?"

The boy shrugged. "I was bored and wanted to try out getting around to other universes with the Dark Heart. It was either that or I would have gone hunting for escaped convicts from Azkaban," he said, glancing pointedly at Black for the sixth time.

"And how is it you came to be here?" Dumbledore asked.

"Here specifically? I have no idea," the boy said. "I just asked to be somewhere else, and I was."

"What's with the third degree, anyway?" the creepy wooden doll- puppet?- that had accompanied the boy said. "Harry, aren't these the people from your school?"

"Nearly," the boy said dryly, directing an icy glare at Black. "He's the mass murderer I was telling you about that's out to kill me, or a version of him, at least, and her-" he nodded politely to Ebony at this point, acknowledging her with a smile "-her I don't know, much to my regret."

The mouth that had twisted with such scorn at Black molded itself into a smile, and the eyes that had been so cold were suddenly warm, and all of it directed at her. There was a soft intake of breath next to her from Lupin and a bit farther down from Black. Snape's eye twitched.

The boy gave the three of them a dry- and in Black's case, dry ice- look. "You're all going to pull up comments about how I look like my father, aren't you?"

"You do?" the doll said.

"I'll show you a picture some time," the boy said.

"So," Dumbledore said, "you say you are Harry Potter from another universe, in possession of a powerful magical object called the Dark Heart, which gives you nearly infinite magical power and a host of wondrous abilities, and that you left your world out of boredom?"

The boy nodded. "Sounds about right."

"What year are you?"

The boy raised an eyebrow at the abrupt question. "Um, third year. I actually left some time around mid-January of that year. Why do you ask?"

"Well," Dumbledore said, steepling his fingers together, "if what you say is true, then you are technically in a version of your future. It is about a year and a half after that time here."

The boy blinked. "I'm in an alternate version of the future?"

"Creepy," the doll said.

"I'm fairly sure this violates some kind of Ministry laws," he muttered. "'One may not travel to the future' or something. Plus it opens up so many avenues for paradox. Or at least messing up the space-time continuum. Or messing up _something_, at least. I'll have to ask Hermione. _She's_ the one with the Time-Turner."

Dumbledore frowned. "I thought you were in third year?"

The boy smirked. "That trinket of hers puts off enough power to warp the space-time continuum- which is exactly its purpose. I'd have to be dead not to feel it. Alright, now it's _my_ turn to Q&A," he said abruptly. "Where exactly am I, because it sure isn't Hogwarts. No room in the castle feels _this_ evil, not even the Chamber of Secrets, and this is just a kitchen!"

Ebony, who'd been silent 'til then, finally spoke up. "'Feel evil'? What do you mean? This room doesn't feel strange or anything."

"Maybe it's you," Black muttered under his breath just loudly enough to be heard. Ebony felt her chest clench strangely, as if it were unsure she should be sad or angry. She tried to settle for angry and didn't _quite_ properly get there.

Lupin and Snape rounded on the man, the former growling softly, the latter looking like he was planning where to put his curse- or a right hook. Dumbledore said his name warningly, expression, tone and manner _very_ disapproving.

The boy raised an eyebrow, then turned to Ebony. "Wanna be friends? Anyone _he'll_ be mad at is friend material in _my_ book," he said warmly, lips twisted in sardonic look obviously meant for Black.

"She's the absolute last person you'd want to be your friend," Black said before Ebony could respond to the odd proposal. "She's an evil spawn who-"

"Shut up," the boy said lazily, and Black was suddenly mute, and looking flapping his mouth open and close like a goldfish. "Better. You don't know how _much_ I want to kill you, so don't aggravate me," he said, voice as cold and icy as winter's heart, pure burning acid, tone as sharp as a razor. It was hate held in check but obviously intense.

Snape's eyebrows threatened to cross his hairline. Lupin and Dumbledore were staring at the boy, who was directing a look at Black that should have drawn, quartered, flayed, filleted, castrated and incinerated him.

The little wooden doll looked at her companion worriedly. "Um, Keeper- I mean, Harry, calm down! You're scaring me!"

The boy took a deep breath a visibly got hold of himself. "I'm cool, I'm cool…" he said, breathing in and out to try to calm himself.

Black was still flapping his mouth like a goldfish.

At a gesture from Dumbledore, Lupin took out his wand and waved it at Black, muttering _Finite Incantatem._

Nothing happened.

"What did you do to him?" Snape said, sounding strangely approving.

"I made him shut up," the boy said, an almost nasty, self-satisfied smile on his face.

"Can you please lift whatever it was you did, Mister Potter?" Dumbledore said. It was the first time anyone besides the doll- Cassidy, Ebony recalled belatedly- had acknowledged his claims.

He sighed, and waved his hand half-heartedly. "Yes sir," he said.

Black frowned at him. "You didn't need to do that."

"Don't tempt me to do it again," was the testy answer.

"What'd _I_ do?" Black said.

"Betrayed my parents to Voldemort, for starters," the dark-haired boy retorted. "Well, the local version of me's parents, but it still amounts to the same thing to me."

Black blinked, obviously confused, but Ebony had made the connection. She remembered how angry she'd been at Black when she'd thought _he'd_ betrayed her parents- her mother and James, she corrected herself sadly- to Voldemort, before she'd learned Pettigrew was their secret keeper.

This boy, this _Harry_, obviously didn't know about the rat yet. After all it was still January in his world. He still had yet to win the Quidditch cup!

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"So, where are we anyway?" the doll Cassidy said a little too loudly.

"You are in the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, an organization dedicated to killing Slytherin's Heir," Black said, before anyone else could say anything. Even as Ebony winced at the description, a part of her wondered at Black's strange behavior. It was almost as if he'd been trying to impress the alter-Harry and get on his good side…

No such luck, apparently. Alter-Harry raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, right! And Hermione's homosexual and in a lesbian relationship with Ginny!"

Ebony blushed at the vivid image, and next to her, Lupin did the same.

"It is no joke, Mister Potter," Dumbledore said. "This is the Headquarters of our organization."

"I suggest you fire your realtor," alter-Harry replied. "The shear evil I'm picking in this place would do Moldy Voldie proud."

They all blinked. "'Moldy Voldie'?" Dumbledore repeated, amused.

"Fear of a name increases the fear of the thing itself," alter-Harry said solemnly. His lips twitched slightly. "A wise man once told me that. It's very hard to be afraid of mould."

Ebony couldn't help herself. She chuckled.

He smiled at her. "Glad you like it. So, how did Tommy R's opposers end up in this dump? This is the Black family ancestral home, isn't it?"

"I let them use it," Black said.

"Ah, I've been wondering what you're doing here," alter-Harry said. "So, who'd you betray and murder to get in?"

"Mister Potter," Dumbledore said warningly.

"Look, you have to understand, I didn't-" Black began, but Dumbledore interrupted him.

"Sirius, I believe it is best if we do not tell Mister Potter anything about his future," the Headmaster said. "As he stated, it might cause some kind of paradox in his world."

"But Dumbledore-" Black said.

"Tough luck, Black," alter-Harry said cheerily.

"Still, Mister Potter, I am not sure not telling you certain things would not be beneficial," Dumbledore continued. "There are some things you might want to know to help you."

"Is the one who survived Voldemort's curse, got to the Philosopher's Stone, and killed the Basilisk still alive?" alter-Harry asked.

"Yes," Dumbledore said simply.

"Then I'll be fine. The local me got through it, I will too," he said. "So, I'm in the Head Quarters of the Order of the Phoenix, an anti-Voldie group. Next question: what's your name?"

The latter was directed at Ebony, who started of the sudden attention. She blushed. "My name's Har- uh, Ebon-, um, I mean Cassandra,"

"Haru Ebonum Cassandra?" he said, amused.

Strangely flustered, she turned towards Dumbledore pleadingly for help. Black, however, decided to open his big mouth.

"She's Slytherin's Heir," the man said, somehow expectant.

Ebony flushed, glaring at the man, who was looking pretty smug. Alter-Harry blinked.

"Funny, you don't look like Voldemort," he said, peering at her closely. "Even under that disguise."

"You can see through it?" Ebony said in surprise.

"If I put my mind to it. Interesting," he muttered. "A bit overkill to cover up pale skin and Heterochromia. Nice hair. Is the disguise hard to take off?"

"She's Voldemort's daughter!" Black yelled.

"I doubt anyone would sleep with the guy, much less carry his child," alter-Harry retorted.

"She's the Dark Heiress!" Black raved. "She's a monster, born from a monster, and she's going to become like him one day! She's-"

"Shut up," alter-Harry said tersely, and Black was flapping his mouth like a goldfish again. "He really doesn't like you, does he? Now I _really_ want to be your friend. So which is it, Ebony or Cassandra?"

She stared at him. "Don't you care about what he said?"

"Should I?" he said.

Ebony looked in askance, then turned to Dumbledore.

The Headmaster sighed, suddenly looking older. "Mister Potter, there is something you should know…"

_An explanation later…_

"So you're the daughter of Lily Potter, who's been raised as Harry Potter for the last fourteen years, as a guy, and you're one of the most feared persons in the Wizarding World- second only to the Moldy sperm donor- since a week after you were born, for absolutely no reason other than genetics?" the alter-Harry said, face strangely blank, the first words he'd said since Dumbledore started explaining.

"Um, yes?" Ebony said, slightly confused at the way he'd summed up the situation.

"People dislike you for the fact that you're someone's kid, and are afraid you'll turn out like him, no other reason?" he continued.

"Uh, yes."

"What House are you in?"

"Gryffindor, although the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin-"

"I know, I was there. Have you ever wanted to take over the world?"

"Uh, no-"

"Ever betrayed anyone?"

"No-"

"Have you ever killed anyone in cold blood?"

"NO!" she said.

The alter-Harry nodded, before breaking out into a wide smile. "FRIEND!" he said, extending his hand, somehow managing to grab hold of Ebony's and shaking it.

Black's jaw dropped.

"Well, let's get the formal introductions out of the way, shall we?" the dark-haired boy said. "I'm Harry Potter, Gryffindor Third year, dimensional traveler and Keeper of the Dark Heart. This is Cassidy Drake, my sidekick. A pleasure to meet you."

"SIDEKICK!" the now-formally-introduced Cassidy exclaimed. "NOW JUST WAIT A COTTON-PICKIN' MINUTE-!"

"May I have the honor as to your name, milady?" alter-Harry said smoothly. Confused as heck, Ebony felt herself blushing for some reason.

"I AM NOT YOUR SIDEKICK!" Cassidy declared.

Alter-Harry rolled his eyes, looking down at the little wooden girl in the next chair, a wry twist in his lips. "Well, you're certainly not my lovely assistant."

One of Cassidy's glass eyes twitched. "DIE POTTER!" she declared, and a blast of fire roared towards his head.

Ebony and the other adults drew back, alarmed, as the black-haired boy fell off his chair, the fireball flying over him and luckily exploding harmlessly on a thick pan hanging on the ceiling. Laughing, he flipped to his feet, and was summarily chased around the room by an enraged doll with flaming hands who would sometimes throw fire at him.

"Oh my," Dumbledore said as they watched the two running around the room, the boy laughing like a child half his age. "Harry, if you please?"

Alter-Harry screeched to a stop, and was instantly hit by a fireball to the head, sending him tumbling to the ground. Ebony gasped in shock, and similar reactions were forthcoming from the others. Black, still mute, had his mouth hanging open, which wasn't much of a change from before.

Cassidy stopped running, placing her hands on her hips. "Now we're even," she said in a huff.

Much to their surprise, the alter-Harry groaned, rubbing the back of his head as he got to his knees. "Crazy pyromaniac can't take a joke," he muttered. Shakily, he got back to his feet. "Sorry if I scared you or anything, but I'm alright."

"You're not hurt?" Lupin said.

"From this little fire cracker? Of course not! I'm tougher than that!" he said, grinning sardonically. "I'm the guy who had a Basilisk's fang shoved into his arm, and had to re-grow the bones in same place because some idiot managed to vanish them away, after all. Now _that's_ pain."

When they still stared at him, he shrugged. "It's all in the Dark Heart," he said casually, turning towards Ebony. "I believe you were about to tell me your name?"

At Dumbledore's nod, she smiled, taking up from where they'd left off. "My name is Ebony. Ebony Layla... Riddle," she said, stumbling over the last name.

Suddenly, he was right in front of her, taking her hand in his and kissing the back of it. "A pleasure to meet you, mistress Ebony," he said, smiling. To the side, they could hear Black gagging on his tongue.

The next words just leapt out of her mouth. "The pleasure's all mine, Harry."

Where did _that _come from?

----------------------------------------

That night, there was an emergency meeting of the Order of the Phoenix.

Many were curious as to why they were having this meeting, since last they heard, nothing had happened that warranted it. Many tried to ask Lupin what was going on, since _he_ seemed to know something, but all he would do was smile and shake his head. Occasionally, he would spontaneously giggle, earning him stares. Some backed away from him, concerned for his mental health and their own safety. A literally crazy werewolf wasn't something you wanted to have to worry about.

Finally, Dumbledore cleared his throat, causing people to hush up and look at him. "Ahem. Now, I know you are all curious as to why I have summoned you here. An unusual occurrence happened this afternoon, and it is still not known whether this will affect us or not. Two visitors arrived who will be staying here at headquarters. Now, that in itself is unusual, but the identity of one of the visitors is the primary reason. Since he will be staying, it is likely you'll encounter him, and if so, it is better you are forewarned, as his presence is supposed to be kept secret from non-Order members, with the sole exception of Ebony, and because his appearance may be quite a shock."

At this, Lupin started giggling again, and stuffed a fist in his mouth in an effort to control it. Dumbledore's lips twitched, and anyone who knew him would know he was fighting back a grin.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. "Professor?" Ebony's voice called through, and the tension went up slightly as the pro- and anti- groups were reminded to each other's existence. "You called?"

"Yes, Ebony," Dumbledore said, pitching his voice higher. "Please, send him in."

The door opened, and people turned to see who it was. A person wearing all black entered, causing several cries of surprise and shock, as well as making some people- in the case of Tonks- fall off their seat.

The boy at the door raised an eyebrow, mouth twisted in amusement. Dumbledore could tell he was enjoying this. "You wanted to see me, Professor?" he said sweetly.

Dumbledore smiled, gesturing him forward. He entered the room the rest of the way, pulling Ebony in by one hand and being followed, many were surprised to see, by a little wooden doll. The party of three moved to stand next to Dumbledore, Ebony reluctantly, the others confidently.

Dumbledore coughed, forcing down the urge to break down into giggles the way Lupin was. Indeed, the werewolf was currently an incoherent mess, pounding the table quietly with his fist, shoulders convulsing with mirth. "Ahem. May I introduce our visitors, Ms. Cassidy Drake-"

"YO!", the doll said.

"-and mister Harry Potter."

Harry waved lazily. "Hello."

There was mass staring all around, which lasted quite a while before people started shaking themselves out of their stupors. People kept glancing at Harry out of the corner of his eye.

Dumbledore smiled. "As Molly and Arthur are not here, can you all please refrain from telling them? I think it would be best that we explain the situation to them. And as to the situation…"

Dumbledore coughed again. "Mister Potter and Miss Drake claim to be from another universe, different from our own. They apparently came here by the use of a powerful magical artifact that Mister Potter controls, which has no equivalent in our world."

"Magical artifact?" Professor McGonagall said.

Holding a hand up in front of his chest, Harry closed his eyes and concentrated. Darkness seemed to congeal around him, and waves of cold began to emanate from his location as, with a burst of darkness, a pendant appeared to hang around his neck. Grasping the pendant, Harry gently took the cord off from around his neck. Opening his palm, he held it up high so everyone could see. "Behold, the Dark Heart," he said.

Everyone stared at the crystal, which was pulsing from the inside.

"What does it do?" McGonagall pressed, her business-like attitude coming to the fore.

"It's a power-source of nigh-infinite dark energy," Harry said, leaning back to sit, crossing his legs in front of him. "I received it when I was born, but it didn't manifest until I was about ten. It gives me an absurdly high level of regeneration, effectively rendering me immortal, as well as the powers of flight, shape-changing, control over the elements of earth, fire, water, air, lightning, ice, light, darkness, etc. All these are just applications of the power, however. Theoretically, I can use the Dark Heart to do anything. Several times I've been tempted to send Binns on into the afterlife. His lectures are more powerful than Draught of Living Death!"

"Anything?" Moody said, and there was a hubbub of speculation at the meaning of the word. It can do anything, he'd said…

"Only the Dark Keeper- that's me- can use it, however," Harry continued. "No one can take it from me, and anyone who tries, dies, either by my own hand or the Dark Heart's.

"In my world, the Dark Keepers are feared because it is misconstrued that because we use something called the Dark Heart, we are automatically evil. In reality, it all depends on the Keeper. There were some who could be considered evil, but a lot were normal people. To my knowledge, I'm the first Dark Keeper who's a wizard. And my knowledge goes a long way."

"_Muggles_ have used this Dark Heart?" Snape said.

"Almost exclusively before me," Harry said.

Black made sound in his throat, waving his arms around frantically.

Lupin looked at Black, then turned to Harry. "You haven't lifted it yet?"

Harry shrugged. "If he can't say anything nice, he shouldn't say anything at all."

"Mister Potter," Dumbledore chided.

Harry sighed, shrugging, and waved his hand. "Behave," he warned Black with a growl.

Black hummed a couple of times, testing his throat. "If it's that powerful, then we can defeat Voldemort easily!"

"Backstabbing your boss already?" Harry said dryly. "Even if I wanted to- which I do like you wouldn't _believe!_- I won't. Although I could- no, I _can_- kill him with one shot despite his defenses- _cough_ Horcruxes _cough_- that won't solve your problems."

"What do you mean?" Tonks said. "Voldemort _is_ our problem." There was a murmur of assent.

Harry sighed, shaking his head sadly. "Ah, the idealism of youth," he said sagely, causing much eyebrow raising. "You don't really get it, do you? The Snake-bastard is just a manifestation of the problem. Haven't any of you ever bothered to wonder _why_ he became so powerful in the first place? It wasn't because he _Imperiused_ a lot of people. It was because people wanted to follow him. And when a large enough portion of high society want to follow a total sicko, a sadistic, genocidal eugenicist, you ought to know you have a _big_ problem."

Harry inspected his nails. "Killing Moldivort is just a delaying tactic. Unless you address the problems in society that would cause a large number of people to follow him, it's just a matter of time before there are more of them, and less of you, and people like _you_ are branded as evil."

There was silence.

Harry uncrossed his legs. "If there are no further questions, I'll be leaving. Come on, 'Bonnie," he said, grabbing Ebony's hand and pulling her towards the door, followed by Cassidy. Once there, he paused. "Oh, and any of you who bad-mouth Ebony just because of who she was unfortunate enough to have as her sperm-donor will know why the Dark Keepers are _the_ most feared people in the multiverse. I know ways to torture without killing that would make even the Dork Lord run screaming like a banshee. Just so you know."

With that, they were gone.

Moody blinked. "Is it just me," he said slowly, "or was he just floating on air the entire time he was talking?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes, he was. One of those 'applications' he spoke of."

"He could simply have used a levitation spell to make us think that," McGonagall said, frowning, a look that was mirrored by others around the table. Harry's words had struck a chord, it seemed. And speaking of which…

The door opened, and Harry stuck his head inside the room. "Excuse me, Professor Dumbledore, but can Snape give me back my wand?"

"_Professor_ Snape, Harry," someone aid from outside the door.

Harry blinked and looked over his shoulder in surprise, then shrugged. "Can _Professor _Snape give me my wand back, please"

Dumbledore looked at Snape, who took a wand out of his robes, looking reluctant to stand up and return it, seemingly expecting Harry to come in for it. He looked about to tell Harry to come and get it himself.

Harry took the decision out of his hands. Whistling, he made a beckoning gesture. The wand floated from Snape's hand and flew towards it's owner. Grabbing it out of mid-air, Harry twirled it between his fingers. "Thank you," he said cheekily, and ducked out again.

"Well, there's goes the levitation spell idea," Lupin said, trying and failing to smother a grin.

Dumbledore chuckled again for a moment, before turning serious. "I cannot stress how important it is that his presence, and indeed, his _existence_, be kept an absolute secret. The children, especially, must not know. Is that understood?"

There was a murmur of assent that rose and fell like a wave.

"I will discuss arrangements with Mr. Potter for while he is staying here," Dumbledore continued. "His abilities will probably help in any subterfuge required. Also, I must ask you **_not_** to tell him anything regarding the events of the last year and a half. He is only halfway through his third year, and as such, those events haven't happened to him yet. He does not want foreknowledge of his future, and as much as it pains me, I must agree. Is that understood?"

Another murmur. The Order would need time to process this…

----------------------------------------

Harry, Ebony and Cassidy all sat at the head of the stairs leading to the kitchen, gazing at the Dark Heart, which was showing what was happening at the Order meeting. They could hear every word, see every nuance, which was weird considering they were looking at it through something the size of a large marble.

"Looks like the meeting's breaking up," Harry said, sighing. As much as he didn't want to know what had happened, he had an overwhelming need to hear what they were talking about. He was crazy that way.

Ebony looked at the boy next to her as he dropped the Dark Heart to hang around his neck like a pendant. She really wasn't sure what to make of the boy. Most of the day had been spent touring the house, at his suggestion, and he had frequently needed to save them- or more precisely, her- from the things in the house that seemed to have developed homicidal tendencies, like the clock that fired bolts, or the trunk that tried to eat them. When they'd finally stopped doing that, they'd talked about Quidditch, the weather, and generally a lot of nothing. Not one mention of Voldemort or anything related to him. The most he came to asking about _her_ was when he asked if he could remove her disguise with his powers for a moment so he could see what she really looked like.

She'd also been slightly weirded-out by the casual violence he and Cassidy had occasionally exchanged, such as when he had made joking comments which Cassidy had responded to with fireballs. Never the less, it was obvious the two were friends, somehow reminding her of Ron and Hermione even if they acted nothing like them. Okay, maybe a little.

As Order members started trooping up quietly, the three of them stood to the side, waiting for an opportunity to go downstairs and talk to Dumbledore. Everyone glanced at them as the passed, some curiously, others as if to reaffirm what they'd seen a few minutes ago. Still, few said a word, and if they did, it was usually very quiet and quickly hushed up.

Harry and Cassidy were wondering why everyone was so quiet- Harry was very tempted to ask who had died, but considering what he'd heard about Ebony that afternoon, it might not be in good taste- when Tonks came up the stairs, made a good show of trying to be quiet, and promptly tripped on a troll's leg umbrella stand. There was an immediate loud clatter.

"I'm sorry!" Tonks instantly said, trying to right the stand, but the damage was done. A loud, earsplitting, unearthly screech rose, quickly going up beyond the tolerable decibel range.

The moth eaten curtains in the hall that Ebony hadn't shown him opened, revealing a portrait of a woman who was screaming her head off, a woman that reminded Harry of what Nerissa had wrinkled into when he'd taken the Heart from her, only this one seemed to be drying up as well as getting wrinkly, since her skin had stretched out over her visible features.

All in all, pretty ugly.

To make matters worse for their eardrums, the screaming was waking up all the other portraits in the hall, all of which started screaming as well. It reminded Harry of a rock concert Irma and the others had once gone to, where the noise was actually enough to cause clothes to vibrate substantially and you actually felt your bones shaking. Some were trying to close the curtains, but to no avail.

_Um, what's going on here?_ he asked Ebony telepathically, since he was pretty sure any words he said would just make matter worse

"It's the portrait of Black's mother," Ebony said, her ears covered. Harry heard her words in his mind. "I forgot to tell you. It does… that… whenever it hears a noise in the hall… how did I hear you say that?"

_Telepathy. I'll explain later. Why don't they get rid of it? And of the other portraits, for that matter?_

"Permanent Sticking Charm," Ebony answered.

_Ah. Well, maybe I can do something._

Harry started moving towards the stairs, where Dumbledore was just emerging. Cassidy followed close behind.

Tapping Dumbledore on the shoulder, Harry wrote some words in the air as he had seen the memory of Riddle do: "Do you mind if I got rid of this racket?"

Dumbledore glanced around the hall, which was confused mess, since no one dared leave the house for fear that the open door would attract attention, but no one could seem to shut the portrait up either. "If you please," Dumbledore wrote back.

"Is it alright to destroy the portraits?"

Dumbledore looked over his shoulder at Black, who shrugged carelessly, and who Harry was pointedly ignoring. "By all means."

Grinning widely, Harry wrote his thanks, and telepathically told Cassidy to start herding people away from the portraits and into other rooms or up the stairs.

When the entrance hall was empty except for Harry and the screaming portraits, he was able to make out some of what the portrait was screaming, which was basically racist/purist/eugenicist propaganda.

Conscious of all the people watching him, Harry summoned a certain book from storage in the Dark Heart, opened it to a certain page, and started reading the spell he planned to do.

Ebony, meanwhile, blinked when she saw the book, and looked down at Cassidy, who was huddled around her legs in the stairwell she was in with Dumbledore, Lupin, Moody, and Black. "Is that a _comic book_ he's reading?"

"Actually, he calls it a manga, but yes," Cassidy replied.

Harry suddenly started to speak. Strangely, his words could be heard clearly over the screaming, and they caused Dumbledore to blink in confusion. "LIC LAC LA LAC LILAC! TO SHUMBOLION DIAKONOYO MOI KEI KRYSTALINE BASHLEIA…"

"What is it, professor?" Ebony asked. "What's he saying?"

"It's in Greek," Dumbledore said. "Ancient Greek. It sounds like some kind of spell…"

"Spell?" Lupin said.

Dumbledore nodded. "His words are: 'Upon our pact, do my bidding, O Queen of Ice. Come forth from the never-ending darkness, the eternal glacier, bring death to all that hast life…'"

By the end of the first sentence, Dumbledore was saying all this robotically. Cold had started to descend upon the room, and nowhere was this more evident then on the walls. Icicles already three feet long hung from frames and the ceiling. Beneath the portrait of Black's mother, a bundle of icicles thrusting in all directions had flowered. The voices of the portraits had slowed their screaming at the cold, and some sounded very shaky. Black's mother had started moaning.

"_YOU! Mutant, monster freak, what have you done? Blood traitor, f-f-fi-I-l-t-th, p-prod-duct o-f…_"

Finally, the portrait couldn't continue, shaking from the intense cold. All around the hall, portraits were shutting up, no longer able to articulate.

Harry chuckled darkly, a chuckle that sent chills down spines that had nothing to do with the cold, although everyone felt like they were outside in the dead of winter. "The spell I cast creates near-absolute-zero temperatures. It is the cold of the void of space. You better get used to it…"

"_F-fil-th-thy half-b-breed…_" the portrait managed to choke out.

Harry smirked. "At first, I was just going to keep all of you in deep freeze, but since you made me mad…You chose your opponent poorly, woman. FOR, LO! I AM THE CURSED ONE… THE KEEPER OF THE DARK HEART! LOOK UPON MY MAGICKS, YE MIGHTY, AND DESPAIR…!"

"Crazy much, Harry?" Cassidy muttered.

"VERSAIS ZOICE TON ISON…"

"'You are the place of eternal rest: The Frozen World'," Dumbledore translated and at these words, the cold rose to new heights. With one final gurgling screech, Black's mother was encased in a pillar of solid ice. The other portraits, long silenced, suffered the same fate.

Silence descended in the house, as Harry stretched then relaxed, sighing. "Is it just me, or is it cold in here?" he quipped.

"Merlin's beard…" many said. Others used more colorful comments.

"Despair indeed…" Dumbledore muttered.

"Hold it, I'm not done," Harry said as everyone made to leave where they were hiding. "And don't touch the ice. You'll probably lose the limb you touch with."

At this, everyone shrank back.

Turning around, Harry raised a hand towards the portraits on his left. "SOUL KILLER!"

An intensely loud sound shot forth from his hand, flying towards the group of portraits. They shook for a nano-second, then shattered into thousands of pieces, each fragment glinting like a diamond, a dagger in mid-air, before beginning their inexorable journeys as dictated by gravity and classical physics. Each shard shot outward, and all the Order members were quick to duck back under cover as the shards flew at high velocity, bouncing off the other ice pillars but sticking into the walls, floor and ceiling like knives. A black shield enfolded Harry at the last moment, protecting him from harm.

Grinning, he turned to the portraits on his left, raising both hands palm out. "Zankūkyokuha!"

A wave of air shot out, and cuts suddenly began to appear on the ice, as if sliced by invisible blades. The cuts grew in number, before the portraits were also reduced to so many shards. The wall was now bare and highly damaged.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Lupin said.

Dumbledore shrugged. "Sirius said he could destroy the portraits, and to be honest, I never liked those things anyway."

Harry turned and pointed at the portraits to the left of Mrs. Black. "Ultima!"

There was a green burst of magic, followed by what looked like a contained nuclear explosion.

"This kid is going all out over some portraits?" Moody said, looking impressed at the spells being used nonetheless.

Portraits to the right. "Dead Scream."

A ball of energy that completely annihilated it's targets. It was lucky the wall survived.

Finally, only Mrs. Black's portrait remained. People started to venture out as Harry seemed to have stopped. He was breathing hard, a contented look on his face, a serene smile on his lips. "Ah, nothing like a little cathartic destruction to take a load off your mind."

Dumbledore eyed all the frozen shards sticking everywhere, careful not to step on any. "Was that really necessary?"

Harry waved his hand, and all the shards glowed for a moment, before melting, then quickly bursting into white-hot flames, dying in an instant without so much as a mark on the ground. "No, but it was fun. I haven't destroyed anything in a while."

"What about Nerissa?" Cassidy said.

"That was different," Harry said cheerily, although his face darkened slightly. "I _killed_ her, I didn't destroy her."

Conscious of the stares being sent his way, Harry said, a little defensively, "She was an insane, wannabe Dark Lord who had delusions of grandeur involving ruling the multiverse. I stopped her. Permanently."

When people still kept on looking at him, Harry glared. "What? You people act like you've never had to kill before!"

There were embarrassed murmurs, and people looked away.

"So, what are you going to do with this?" Cassidy said, pointing at Mrs. Black's portrait.

Harry grinned. "I have a couple of special things in mind for it. Stand back, I don't think it'll be safe to stand next to me," Harry said, moving back until he hit the far wall opposite the portrait.

At these words, people moved back nervously, not wanting to be caught by any of the things they'd seen used a while ago.

Harry cupped his hands together, closing his eyes. "Void of Darkness, freezing nothingness, free thyself from Heaven's bonds!"

A lot of eyebrows rose at those words. Magic began to crackle between Harry's hands, and they closed, as if he were holding a sword.

"Become one with my body, one with my power, and together, let us walk the path of destruction!"

Bursting, magic shot out from between Harry's hands, a black magic that formed into a large, trowel-like blade. The edges crackled, incoherent but obviously there, shifting as if a permanent form were beyond it's capacity.

"RAGNA BLADE!"

Grinning like a loon, Harry took a step towards the portrait, raising the blade over his head.

"LIMIT BREAK: CLIMHAZZARD!"

----------------------------------------

"You're insane, you know that Potter?" Cassidy said.

Harry just smiled, sipping his pumpkin juice serenely. "Just getting the kinks out of the system. It was fun!"

"You consider it fun to destroy things?" Ebony's voice was dry enough to be a minor desert.

Harry smirked. "Look me in the eye and tell me you don't enjoy using spells that leave a big mess."

Ebony tried to glare at him and messed it up when she cracked a smile.

The three of them were in the now-vacated kitchen of the Black House. Harry and Ebony had managed to scrounge up some things to eat, since both had missed lunch what with touring the house and all. Cassidy looked mournfully at the food they had prepared for a meager dinner.

"You're wishing you have taste-buds again, aren't you?" Harry said. "I promised I'd work on it!"

"I know. And not that I'm complaining, having a body is better than none at all. It's just that I miss chocolate," Cassidy mourned.

Before any other conversation could take place, Lupin, Dumbledore, Tonks and Moody all came down the stairs.

"Dig in," Harry said, sitting down next to Ebony and thankful that Black hadn't come down with them. "It was the most we could do."

The adults raised their eyebrows. On the table was a roast chicken, mashed potatoes, three different kinds of baked pasta, and a big pitcher of pumpkin juice.

Harry shrugged. "Well, there wasn't a lot to scrounge up, so I made a few things."

"Pig," Cassidy muttered.

With practice ease, Harry pushed her off the table with his pinky. She was up in an instant, fire in her eyes and hands.

"You started it," Harry said, and she glared at him, although the flames died down.

Nervously, the four adults sat down to eat, Lupin sitting next to Ebony, Tonks beside him, and the other three sat opposite them. Cassidy sat on the edge of the table looking mournful.

"So, how's the weather lately?" Harry said as he cut some meat for himself.

All the others paused.

"I'm just trying to start a conversation, nothing serious!" Harry said defensively.

"Interesting magic you used up there," Moody commented, sniffing the food suspiciously before deciding it wasn't poisoned. "I've never heard of those spells before."

"That's because they weren't spells _per se_, just the Dark Heart's power in use. The only reason they looked like that was because I wanted them too," Harry said.

"Wanted them to?" Ebony repeated.

"Well, unlike the magic we use with wands, the Dark Heart has no pre-established list of spells. You basically have to mentally shape the magic for everything. The words I said were just focuses for how I wanted the magic to come out."

"That's not how _we_ did it," Cassidy said.

"No offense, but you Guardians really don't put a lot of thought into how you use your magic, do you? You girls basically either throw elements around or make wishes and hope you have the power to back them up, which you usually do, so no problem," Harry said.

"Guardians?" Dumbledore said.

"They're a group in our home universe-cluster. They basically serve Kandrakar, and in the past they used to hunt and kill Dark Keepers- or tried to, anyway. They usually die trying, unless one of them has the nerve to go for a suicide attack. Thankfully- hopefully- that's thing of the past, now."

"Why would they want to kill you?" Tonks said.

"Like I said, they thought we were evil," Harry said, then blinked, looking at her and Moody. "I'm sorry, but I just realized I have no idea who you two are."

The pink haired woman grinned. "You can call me Tonks and that," she said, pointing at her horribly scarred friend, "is Alastor Moody."

The disfigured man nodded in acknowledgement "Upstairs you mentioned something about killing someone, boy," Moody said. "What's that about?"

"She was a rogue Guardian who tried to take over the multiverse. I stopped her because I promised someone I would," Harry said, then took a drink, plainly not intending to add anything more. "That's actually why I asked if Ebony has ever killed anyone in cold blood. Because I know I did. Twice."

"You've killed twice?" Lupin said, shocked.

"Quirell and Nerissa. And if I ever get a hold of Black on my world, it'll be three," he answered, his mouth twisting into an unconscious smile, one that unnerved the people at the table, even Moody. "Quirell was an accident, really, but I was the one who put him out of his misery when Voldemort left him by putting a stake through his heart."

"Do we _have_ to talk about this?" Cassidy said in disgust. "I'm not eating and I'm still sick."

Harry blinked, blushing in embarrassment. "Sorry. It won't happen again."

There was an uncomfortable silence. Suddenly, Black came down the stairs and stopped, sensing the mood.

"Did I miss something?" he said as he sat down next to Dumbledore, and far too close to Harry for his comfort. The boy was very tempted to give him a frozen foot. No one answered his question.

Finally, Dumbledore said, "We need to talk about what we'll tell the children when they come back tomorrow."

"Ron and Hermione are coming here?" Harry said in surprise. "Isn't that sort of dangerous? I mean, this _is_ the Headquarters of a group opposed to Moldywarts. Isn't he going to attack or something?"

There were some snorts at the new name.

"No," Dumbledore said, hoping the mashed potatoes hadn't gone down his lungs. "This building is perfectly safe, as long as it is kept secret, and we have countermeasures for that."

"If you say so," Harry said, lapsing into thought. "Hmm, a cover story. I supposed we could just say I'm a friend of Cassandra's. Ebony told me _her_ cover story, and it would be easy to mix the two together and add a little believability. We tell them I'm a friend of Cassandra's who's also home-schooled and here visiting her friend because when summer ends I won't be going to Hogwarts. That way, they don't connect me to anything regarding the school."

"There's still the matter of your looks, boy," Moody said.

At this, Harry and Cassidy shared a grin. "Let _me_ worry about that."

Try as they might, no one could get a word out of him about what he meant, until finally they just gave up and made plans in case his amounted to putting on a fake beard and mustache.

"Um, by the way, since I assume I can't just go on over to the Leaky Cauldron for a room, where am _I_ sleeping?" Harry asked as he, and Lupin helped Tonks put the plates in the sink to be washed.

Lupin frowned, panicked a moment when a plate nearly fell from Tonks' grasp, then frowned again. "I suppose you can use someone's room, although I don't know what their owners will say to that, since we really don't have one prepared."

Harry frowned in thought. "Hey, Ebony, can I bunk in you room?"

"Huh?" Ebony said.

"Well, with your permission, anyway. I'll just sleep on the floor. Done it before."

"Um, I really don't think…" Lupin said.

"Is this going to be one of those 'it's indecent' protests, because I can tell you right now, I'm only thirteen, and hence, too young to be thinking of doing any of the things you're afraid is going to happen," Harry said. "Besides, Cassidy'll be there to chaperone if you're nervous. Despite her size, she's older than she looks."

Helplessly, Lupin looked to Dumbledore, who shrugged, his eyes twinkling on overdrive.

And that was how Harry and Cassidy ended up sleeping in Ebony's room.

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"Nice place you got here," Harry said as they entered Ebony's room. He took in the sparsely furnished room and blinked when he noted it's current occupant. "Hey, Hedwig!"

The white owl blinked in confusion, looking between Harry and Ebony, who'd just come in. She gave a hoot, ruffling her feathers looking agitated.

"I guess she's a bit confused," Ebony said. "She's only just gotten used to me being a girl and all…"

"I'll handle this," Harry said. "Hi, I'm Harry. I know I look like someone you know, but I'm not. I'm actually from another universe."

Cassidy blinked in confusion. Just what was Harry doing? Was he actually talking to the bird? "Um, Harry…" Cassidy ventures.

"Oh, is that so?" said Hedwig. "Well, that explains it."

Ebony and Cassidy's jaw dropped, the latter's almost coming off her face and falling to the ground. "Whaaa….?" they chorused.

Harry grinned. "Oh, didn't I tell you? One of my powers is to communicate with animals and inanimate objects. Very useful if you need information and there weren't any witnesses. My power also boosts their intelligence a little and allows them to talk back."

Deciding to ignore this new quirk of her alternate version, Ebony shook her head, looking bemused. Cassidy, however, looked suspicious. "Wait a minute. Does this mean you could also talk to Azar?"

Harry just grinned and didn't say anything.

Grumbling, Cassidy plopped herself on the bed as Harry looked around the nooks and crannies of the room. Ebony opened her cupboard and was about to pull out some sleeping clothes when she stopped and blushed slightly. "Um, would you mind waiting outside for a moment? I need to, um…"

Harry blushed as well. "Sure. Uh, take your time. Um, by the way, where's the…?"

When Ebony gave him directions to the bathroom, Harry grabbed Cassidy and they hustled out of the room.

After Ebony had gotten changed, she let Harry and Cassidy back inside. The boy immediately plopped down on the floor, looking at the ceiling and humming to himself. Cassidy kept a wary eye on Hedwig, before burying herself in a book that Harry must have given her.

"Why do you do that?" Ebony said as she started brushing her hair in preparation for her nightly Occlumency exercise.

"Do what?" Harry said as he looked at her upside down, grateful she wasn't wearing a nightgown to sleep. He raised an eyebrow at the brush.

"Hum all the time. You've been doing it all day. When you're not talking, you're humming. It's really quiet so it's hard to catch on to, but I've noticed," she said as moved the brush through her hair with relaxed, 'don't really have to think about it' kind of movements.

Harry hummed as he thought of how to phrase his answer. "It's a way to stay sane. You see, not all my powers are what you might call user friendly."

"Oh?"

"One of my powers is that I sort of see visions when exposed to silence. It's sort of the opposite of what a Guardian named Hay Lin can do. _She_ sees certain visions or memories when she hears certain sounds. When I'm in a silent environment, I 'see' things, and it's not always pleasant. The visions I've been getting in this house have been really disturbing. Any sound keeps things from being silent, and a little noise keeps the visions away. I can't even sleep without my music box, since the visions would keep me from falling asleep," Harry said, a touch of bitterness in his voice. "The power is on 24/7, and I can't turn it off. But sound offers a little reprieve, so I hum."

"Oh," Ebony said, pausing in her brushing, before she remembered herself and started again. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize…"

"Oh, it's nothing. I've gotten used to it. Now it's just annoying," Harry said. "Okay, my turn: why are you brushing your hair? I don't think you're _that_ far gone into being a girl to be so vain."

The joking tone in his voice made her smile. "It's an exercise someone taught me. It helps me clear my mind so I can practice Occlumency."

"Occlumency?"

"It's the branch of magic dealing with defense of the mind, although accomplished users can use it to resist the effects of truth potions like Veritaserum."

"Ah. I don't really need Occlumency then. My telepathy means I can just throw someone out of my mind if I don't want them there. I do it to Snape back home all the time."

The brush paused again. "About that…"

"Yet another of my Dark Heart gifted abilities. It's like the classic Muggle concept of telepathy. I can read minds, not like the way Legilimens do, but actually reading like a book, although it's hard to look without a table of contents." A smile. "Don't worry, I'm not a voyeur, though. I don't just casually dig through minds. What I did with you a while ago was basically just talking without sound. Although sometimes, when a person is especially agitated, I can pick things up because they're basically shouting out their thoughts. It's a real headache, that."

"I could imagine," Ebony said, although she couldn't really. Still, she had a gist of what he meant.

"What are the two of you talking about?" Cassidy said abruptly.

Ebony blinked at the doll, wondering what she meant. Harry, however, frowned, propping himself up on his elbow.

"Did we just slip into using Parseltongue?" he said.

Ebony frowned as well, realizing belatedly that their conversation had slipped into the snake language somewhere along the line without either knowing it. "I guess we did."

"Huh?" Cassidy said.

"Parseltongue. It's the language of snakes," Harry explained.

Cassidy shook her head. "Just when I think I know you…"

"Hmm," Harry said, lying back down. Bending his knee, he lay his other leg on top of it, hands behind his head like he was lying down on a grassy meadow looking at the sky. "You live, you learn."

Ebony looked at him lying down like that. "Isn't that uncomfortable?"

"Not really."

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Ebony woke up to the strains of the little music box Harry had set the night before. It was playing a tune she didn't recognize, although it was very relaxing. She could see why her alternate had chosen it.

Said alternate was still sprawled out on the floor, tangled in his blanket, lying down on the sleeping bag he'd conjured up. Cassidy was a collapsed pile of wood lying to one side, the book she'd been reading- a comic book similar to the one Harry had read the spell from last night, she saw- off to one side.

Yawning, Ebony stretched, working out the kinks sleeping had produced. The sound caused Harry to stir. He opened one eye, before closing it again and stretching himself, rubbing the back of his neck. "Mornin'."

Ebony smiled. "Good morning. I hope I didn't wake you."

Harry shook his head, smiling sleepily in a reassuring manner. "Don't worry about it. I'm a light sleeper, although sometimes I also sleep like the dead- usually in History of Magic class just before Hermione wakes me up." Ebony laughed at that. She'd had a lot of experience with that herself.

Yawning, Harry sat up, scratching his very ruffled hair, which was in a worse state than it usually was. "I'll go downstairs and make breakfast, okay?"

"You don't have to do that," Ebony protested.

Harry waved her off. "It's nothing. Besides, it's the least I can do."

Not waiting for her protests, Harry got up and vanished away the sleeping bag and blanket he'd made, along with the music box, before padding out of the room with a yawn, leaving a note on Cassidy saying where'd gone. Shrugging, Ebony started to get dressed…

Later, when Ebony walked into the kitchen, she found Harry looking like he'd taken a bath. His hair was as neat as it was willing to go, and he looked refreshed, wearing a plain black shirt and pants. The kitchen table was stacked high with toast, bacon, sausages, eggs, and lots of other breakfast stables, in quantities fit for Mrs. Weasley on a rampage. All in all, it would have been a tranquil scene if Cassidy wasn't chasing Harry around with a frying pan. A _large _frying pan

"Ouch!" Harry said when it finally connected with his head. "Crazy trigger happy pyromaniac…"

Cassidy sniffed, muttering things under her breath.

Ebony would have been sweatdropping if she knew how. "Um… I don't think I want to know."

"Thank you for not asking," Harry said as he rubbed his head, waving his hand and sending the pan back to it's hook.

Whatever it was had apparently been forgiven with the frying pan, since Cassidy started acting cheerfully again, and Harry certainly didn't say anything about it, causing Ebony to believe this was a usual occurrence for them. Shrugging, she sat down and began eating.

They were shortly joined by Lupin, who greeted them with a tired smile and looked slightly amazed at the amount of food that had been produced. He ate with them and the four of them chatted genially about little bits of nothing for a while. The appearance of Black while they were explaining the rules of Quidditch to Cassidy caused a momentary hitch but thankfully Dumbledore was right behind him, so things recovered. Black looked like he wanted to sit with Harry, but he was sitting at the end of the bench next to Ebony, so it was no go. He sat a little away from them, looking at Harry out of the corner of his eye as they went back to talking about Quidditch. The alter-Potter deliberately ignored him, although his pointed refusal to look in his general direction was a dead give away he knew he was there. Ebony looked uncomfortable as well, but Black wasn't even looking at her. His eyes were only on Harry.

Everyone looked up when they heard the door opening. The adults frowned at each other.

"Is anyone supposed to be coming in this morning?" Lupin said.

Dumbledore shook his head, frowning slightly, but before any of the adults could go check who it was, Harry spoke.

"It's Mrs. Weasley," he said, his head tilted to one side, eyes narrowed and slightly blank and glazed, a look of concentration on his face. "She's alone."

Before anyone could ask him how he knew, a distinctive tread echoed down the stairwell, one the locals knew belonged to the Weasley matron. They heard her say as she opened the kitchen door. "Remus? Is Ebony up? I-"

Her words were cut off as she noticed the boy in the room. There was a gurgling sound in her throat, and her eyes rolled up as she fainted.

Harry seemed to vanish from his seat and reappeared next to Mrs. Weasley, his hand outstretched. She stopped in mid-fall, her head lolling to the side, legs bent, arms hanging lifelessly at her sides. Harry shook his head, tsk-ing. A wave of his hand and she was upright, another wave and she was lying in midair. "I should have realized something like that would happen."

He floated Mrs. Weasley towards the table, whose residents were already getting up, worried for the woman's condition. "She'll be fine. Fainted when she saw me, that's all."

Dumbledore shook his head, an amused smile on his face, the usual twinkles dancing. "I dare say that would have been quite a shock."

A while and a wand wave later, Mrs. Weasley fluttered her eyes open, starring around in confusion at the concerned faces looking down on her. "Wha-what happened? I seem to remember dreaming about seeing Harry…"

"I'm afraid something happened yesterday, Molly," Dumbledore said as he helped her up from the bench she was lying on uncomfortably. "You see, yesterday, we had a visitor to Headquarters."

At this, the mother frowned. She didn't see what the connection was. "Oh? Who?"

"Me," a voice behind her said. Mrs. Weasley turned and almost fainted again as a green-eyed ghost from the past smiled at her.

"H-harry?" she said in astonishment, before noticing Ebony sitting beside him, a barely repressed, amused smile on her face. "Wha-?"

"Harry here is our visitor, Molly," Dumbledore explained, managing to more-or-less maintain his composure while Lupin started degenerating into helpless giggles again. "He arrived yesterday some time at noon, and will be staying with us for awhile. He is from another universe, much different from our own, and has traveled here by means of a magical artifact called-"

All other explanation was cut of as Mrs. Weasley suddenly rose, rushed around the table, and enfolded Harry in a fierce hug, who was barely able to let out a squawk of surprise. The older woman was sobbing uncontrollably, saying things about how he should never leave them and what not…

Some time later, they managed to pry him off her, and after getting her to listen to the explanation, Mrs. Weasley was feeling slightly silly and embarrassed. "I'm sorry about hugging you like that," she said as she wiped her tears with a handkerchief.

Harry smiled, waving it off. "No problem. I didn't really mind."

Mrs. Weasley took a deep breath, before smiling widely. "Well, it's nice to have someone else here. The more the merrier, I say!"

"By the way, Molly, what are you doing here so early?" Lupin asked. "We weren't expecting you until some time after lunch."

"Oh, we finished ahead of schedule," Mrs. Weasley said. "I came ahead to get some food ready- although it seems I didn't need to," this while eyeing the massive amount of food, while Harry shrugged, "Bill and Charlie are bringing the other children back and-"

Suddenly, the door opened again, and the sound of many feet could be heard.

"Must be them," Harry commented, looking in the direction of the sounds. Lupin, Dumbledore and Ebony looked at each other in shock.

"Harry, we need to disguise you, now," Dumbledore said as he drew out his wand.

"Disguise? Why?" Mrs. Weasley said.

"We can't let the children know about him," Lupin said, quickly explaining.

Harry, however, just waved them off, smiling, that smile that said quite clearly, 'I know something you don't know'. "Don't worry about that disguise. _I'll_ take care of it."

They all looked at him like he was crazy.

"Harry, we haven't got time-"

"Harry Potter, what are you talking about-!"

"Harry, I do not doubt your skills, but you are not yet disguised and-"

Footsteps coming down the stairs caused the adults to look that way, in time to see the door open and Hermione, followed by most of the Weasley children, trooped in. "Mrs. Weasley, have you seen Cass- Oh, Cassandra! There you are! And who's your friend?"

Nearly everyone not a new arrival blinked, then turned to where she was looking at. Harry was gone. In his place was a girl with long, straight, midnight-black hair that came past her chin. Muted green corneas shown from wide, innocent eyes on a childlike face. The girl wore tight black pants, black boots, a black spaghetti-strap, a leather jacket with a smiley-face button on the lapel, a silver ankh pendant and a top hat. Cassidy had mysteriously disappeared.

The girl clasped her hands before her, looking wide-eyed. "Oh! You must be Hermione! I recognize you from Cassandra-chan's descriptions! Oh, it's so nice to finally meet you!" she said, striding over to Hermione and clasping her hands in her own.

Hermione blinked in surprise at the girl, a blink that was mirrored by nearly everyone else. "Um, who are you?"

The girl suddenly gasped, letting go of Hermione's hands and turning to cast a pouting look at Ebony, hands on her hips. "You didn't tell them about me? Oh, Cassandra-chan, I'm hurt."

"Uh, sorry?" Ebony said, not really sure what she was saying sorry for.

The girl 'hmphed'. "Well, you should be! But I'll forgive you this time," she said, suddenly smiling brightly. Striding over to Ebony- her steps were too forceful to be called a walk- the girl glomped on to her arm, rubbing her cheek against it happily, her top hat nearly sliding off her head but somehow staying in place. "I guess I might as well introduce myself. I'm Deedee Vandom, Cassandra-chan's girlfriend!"

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**- To be continued…**

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A/N: Well? What do you think?

Before you ask, more W.I.T.C.H. stuff will come in a few chaps, although probably not the kind you think.

The spell in ancient Greek is the one Evangeline uses in volume six of **_Negima! _**Soul Killer is the attack used by ShogunGekomon after Mimi woke him up with her singing. At least, that's what it was called in the version of **_Digimon_** I watched. Ragna Blade is from **_Slayers_**, Climhazzard is from **_FF7_**, specifically, the version used in the **_Advent Children_** movie. You know, the one Cloud used against Bahamut Sin.

…

The big dragon who terrorized the city?

Please review, C&C welcome. Drop reviews over to Ebony too. I'm sure they'll also be very much appreciated.

Until next time, this is Shadow, signing off.


	10. Deedee In The Black House

A/N: Did you do your homework and read **JuMiKu**'s fic? Well, you should have…

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"I'm Deedee Vandom, Cassandra-chan's girlfriend!"

There was an almost universal stare as Ebony began to blush.

_Play along,_ a voice in her head she recognized said.

_Harry?_ she tried. It was worth a shot. _**What are you doing**?_

_Just play along. I'm establishing my cover story and maybe having a little fun in the process._

'Deedee' finally seemed to become aware of all the stares. "Oh no, I don't mean like that! Sheesh! No, Cassandra-chan and I have been friends since like forever!"

Mrs. Weasley breathed a sigh of relief she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Even though she knew it couldn't possibly be true, it had been a knee-jerk reaction.

The other kids relaxed, looking nervous. Ron had gone his standard red hue. "Oh," Hermione said, slightly pink herself. "Sorry, I thought you meant…"

'Deedee' waved it off. "Oh, that's alright! People think that all the time! And even if it were true, what's so bad about it? So what if Cassandra-chan and I have decided to look for love in each other in this cruel, cruel world of heartless, insensitive boys, competition against Veela, and the ever-rising threat of male homosexuals…" she said, trailing off as she looked into the distance, her eyes seeing something she alone could glimpse…

By now, Ron had gone redder, and there were many bemused and, in Mrs. Weasley's case, scandalized looks.

"Um, Deedee?" Cassandra said.

"Deedee-_chan_," 'Deedee' corrected her, snapping abruptly out for her reverie and grinning up at the other girl.

"Deedee-_chan_, would you please let go of my arm? It's starting to go numb…" Ebony said.

'Deedee' immediately went wide-eyed, hastily letting go and clasping her hands in front of her mouth. Anyone else would have thought it was from shock (and dramatic theatrics), but from her angle, Ebony could see she did it to cover up a smile. He- she (Oh, great, _another_ person whose gender she was getting confused about. As if getting dizzy with her own wasn't enough)?- was _enjoying_ this!

_Of course I am!_ his voice in her head said. _This is one of the few times I get to act **really** silly. Can you blame me?_

Verbally, however, s/he said, "Oh, Cassandra-chan, I'm so sorry! Are you alright? Are you hurt? Do you need a cast? You stay right there and I'll call St. Mungo's-"

"Deedee, I'm fine!" Ebony said, wondering when they'd get out of the twilight zone.

"Are you sure? I mean, you know you're delicate! You haven't been eating too much again, have you? You know how that makes you sick! One time, she made the mistake of eating more than four strips of bacon, three sausages and three slices of toast- plus I think a couple of other things she wasn't supposed to when her dad and I weren't looking- and she ended up being sick all morning," she told the waiting audience, then turned back towards Ebony, who had never had that problem in her life. "I hope you haven' t been sneaking stuff from the table again, you know how hard I work to try and keep you healthy! Oh, I knew I shouldn't have made all this food, but I wanted to make a good impression on your friends and I can't do that if you puke all over the place!"

_Say you haven't been eating what you weren't supposed to, but look guilty saying it, _Harry told her.

Ebony was tempted to raise her eyebrow, wondering where the lecture on her delicacy and non-existent eating habits/disorder was leading up to, but decided to stop trying to figure out what was running around her alter-ego's head. She was already beginning to doubt his/her sanity. And where the heck _was_ Cassidy?

She looked down, shuffled her feet, pouted, tried to look as 'I'm guilty of something but trying to deny it without being too obvious as possible' and making it seem believable. "I haven't been eating anything I'm not supposed to…" she said, sounding so innocent any judge would have found her guilty on that alone.

'Deedee' frowned, crossing her arms in front of her chest and tapping her foot. "Cassandra-**_chan_**…" she said threateningly, actually making Ebony guilty even though she didn't know what she was feeling guilty for, then feeling silly all over again when she remembered she really _wasn't_ guilty of anything.

_Bow your head, and say you've been eating what you're not supposed to, then say…_ Harry coached. As he kept talking, Ebony was hard-pressed to suppress a grin. So _that's_ what s/he was leading up to!

Keeping her face guilty and then making it look repentant, Ebony bowed her head at the 'accusation'. "Okay, so I haven't been sticking to my diet like I should, but it's only because I didn't want to offend M- _Aunt Molly_ when she asked me to eat. I really _have_ been trying to the diet the Healer told me to, _really_, but…" Ebony trailed off, shuffling her feet and hard-pressed to suppress a smile. She really shouldn't be happy like this, really. After all, Mrs. Weasley was only trying to look after her by feeding her, but the way she was making her eat, she'd start looking like _Dudley!_

'Deedee' appeared mollified for a moment, then immediately rounded on Mrs. Weasley, surprising the watching audience, who were wondering how the little soap opera would continue. "I'm sorry about this, but I think you should know, Cassandra-chan has a rare condition that keeps her from eating too much. It makes her stomach really sensitive, and she gets really sick if she eats too much. It doesn't become apparent right away, but after a few hours, it's not pretty. She hasn't been stuffing herself with food before I got here, was she? She has a bad habit of doing that whenever her dad and I aren't watching. "

The Weasley children and Hermione immediately started looking guilty, remembering all those mornings when Mrs. Weasley would stuff 'Cassandra' like a turkey and they'd just giggle at her. Mrs. Weasley, naturally, was looking confused, and Ebony felt a faint stab of guilt at what they were doing. Black and Dumbledore were both staring at 'Deedee's' performance, the former looking strangely proud, the latter very much amused, although hiding it in his beard. Lupin was slightly insensible, giggling quietly but helplessly and pounding the table with his fist every so often.

When the children looked at Lupin worriedly, Dumbledore made a show of examining him. "Oh dear, it seems his wand accidentally went off with a combination Cheering Charm and Giggling Hex. Well, best he ride it out. Are you alright, Remus?"

Lupin nodded, smiling and giggling, before going back to pounding his fist on the table.

"Anyway, who are the rest of you?" Deedee said abruptly, her earlier lecturing mode gone, to be replaced with intense energy and enthusiasm. "You guys must be the cousins Cassandra-chan told me about! I'm afraid I don't have your names! Care to educate me as to them?"

Fred and George immediately launched themselves forward, each taking one of 'Deedee's' hands. "Such an ugly word, educate," the one Ebony knew to be Fred said.

"Very foul language for one as beautiful as yourself," George said.

"But we'll forgive you."

"Just this once."

"This ugly and unsightly person is my lesser brother, Gred."

"And this dimwitted and unenlightened being is the accident, Forge."

By now, 'Deedee' was giggling, although as merely an act or because of genuine amusement, it was hard to tell. "My, such charming gentlemen," 'Deedee' said airily, fluttering her eyelashes at them. "I'm honored by such loving attention, but I'm afraid the effort is all for naught. For I have eyes only for another."

Both "Gred' and 'Forge' drew back, holding their hands in front of their hearts as if receiving mortal wounds.

"Dang, shot down again."

"Why are all the good ones always taken?"

"I guess you're out of the running, little brother."

"Tough luck, mate."

Ron blushed even more as Bill and Charlie introduced themselves, ducking his head and muttering something that sounded like 'Lon Measley' when his turn came up, not looking at 'Deedee' at all. Ebony could feel another Ron-crush budding and felt sorry for the boy. He had _no_ idea he didn't have a snowball's chance.

Ginny smirked at Ron, before turning towards 'Deedee'. "Hi, I'm Ginny. Ignore the weirdoes, please, they're aberrations, I assure you."

"Really? I think they're cute. Definitely not my type, but cute in a 'funny monkey' sort of way," 'Deedee' said, shaking hands with Ginny.

"So, who is your type?" Fred said, appearing so suddenly at 'Deedee's' elbow you'd think he'd Apparated there.

"Yes, we'd like to know who our competition is," George said, popping up in much the same way from behind Ginny.

_Oh, this is going to be fun…_ Ebony heard Harry's voice say in her head, before a dreamy look suddenly appeared on 'Deedee's' face, and she clasped her hands before her as she looked to the sky, stars and hearts in her eyes. Ebony almost expected floating red hearts, confetti and flowers to waft around her, such was the vibe she was putting out.

"Oh, he's the absolute best!" 'Deedee' said dreamily, yearningly, causing people to back away a little at the shear sweetness she was giving off, fearing for their teeth, gums and blood sugar level. "He's a total _babe_, the _coolest, hottest_ guy around. Oh, those _eyes_, those _lips_, that _hair_! Oh, and that _scar_! **_AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!_**"

Her shriek caused the glass to rattle slightly and made people stick fingers in their ears for fear of hearing loss as she unabashedly gushed. Ebony, meanwhile, was having suspicions that wanted to make her grin in a bemused, 'this can't be happening' manner. _Scar_? Please don't tell me s/he was talking about…

"Oh, _Harry!_ Marry me, Harry! I'll bear you as many children as you want!" the gushing continued.

_Yup, s/he was_, Ebony thought. It was all she could do to keep from dissolving into insensinate laughter and go over the deep end like Lupin, who was suddenly laughing his head off…

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Harry Potter: Keeper of the Dark Heart

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 10: Deedee in the Black House…

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, which belongs to J.K. Rowling, or W.I.T.C.H., which belongs (I think) to Disney and some European lady. This is based on the comic book version of W.I.T.C.H., not the cartoon version, or the kiddy book version. I ask any relatives reading this to never bring it up in my presence or I will cut you off from my will. Ebony-chan and her world were written and created by the talented Lady Demoness **JuMiKu **(Title changed per her request X3). I'm just writing in it.

Gore Warning! Not for the faint of heart! You have been warned!

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'Deedee's' hi-decibel exclamations seemed to knock Mrs. Weasley out of the funk she'd sunk into some time during the introductions, and she shook her head, latching on to something she was used to. "Alright, get washed up, children. You wouldn't want the food Deedee went to so much trouble to prepare go to waste, do you?"

With the addition of the Weasley children and Hermione, breakfast became a much livelier affair. Much of it was spent on 'Deedee's' recitation on the virtues and innate hotness and coolness of Harry Potter, to which Ebony didn't know whether to react with amusement or embarrassment. While she no longer had that form, it was slightly disturbing to hear that the body you once considered your own had 'a tight little rump', a comment which elicited giggles from Ginny and Hermione and embarrassed confusion from Mrs. Weasley.

During a break from the Harry litany when 'Deedee' went to get some more pumpkin juice manually instead of by magic (claiming she was more used to it since she seldom used magic at home), Ebony, at Harry's coaching, whispered to the other kids at the table, "Sorry about her, but I sort of forgot to keep her away from that subject. I'm telling you now: do _not_ get her started on the subject of Harry. She's been crushing over her 'Harry-koi' for the last five years, and it doesn't look like she's going to stop any time soon."

"Got it pretty bad, huh?" Hermione said just as quietly, not wanting to offend her friend's 'friend' by letting her know they were talking about her.

"Let's just say she has a shrine of him in her closet and bathroom," Ebony said dryly. To Harry, she said, _A **shrine?**_

_Hey, it's possible,_ he said. _Keep telling them what I told you._

Wanting to roll her eyes and only managing to succeed not to with great effort, Ebony continued with the fabrication, thankful that none of the adults were interrupting. "She's got every picture of him there's ever been. I _think_ she's been trying to get naked pictures of him, but so far she hasn't been successful. I doubt he'll ever stand a chance if they ever meet in real life: she already has the wedding planned out and what they'll name their kids!"

"She'll have to join The Club at Hogwarts," Fred said dryly before taking a bite from his toast.

"And they're supposedly pretty tough on newcomers," George added as he speared a bit of sausage.

Ebony blinked. "Club?" she asked, not sure what they were talking about.

The Weasley children- and Hermione- still attending school exchanged looks, as if wondering what they should tell her, then glanced at the adults- and Bill and Charlie- who were talking in hushed tones about something or other.

"Well, you'll be going to Hogwarts, so you'll find out about it eventually, but if you ever run into Harry Potter, you have to promise not speak a word about it to him," Ginny whispered.

"I promise," Ebony said, meaning it. After all, it would be kind of hard to run into herself. And 'Deedee' technically wasn't Harry Potter at the moment…

_Intriguing…_ she heard Harry say, and guessed he was listening in on them somehow. She hoped he remembered he was only supposed to be getting pumpkin juice, not going out into the fields to grow the pumpkins for them!

As if on cue, 'Deedee' breezed in, placed the refilled pitcher of pumpkin juice on the table, said, "Be right back!" and was gone again.

"Okay," Hermione said. "The Club is this group of girls- and some boys- who _all_ have a crush on Harry. They're like his groupies, kissing the ground he walks on and supposedly doing things like worshiping a poster of him while naked- them, not him- complete with candles and stuff, although no one knows for sure, since they're very close-mouthed about their activities. There are some in the school who suspect their existence, but no one's telling Harry because… well, they want to keep it secret."

"If it's a secret, how do _you_ know about them?" Ebony said, not knowing what to be shocked over first: the existence of a cult who had worshipped her when she was Harry, the fact there were _boys_ in the cult, or the facts her best friends knew. At the moment, she was holding the reaction off due to confusion.

"Moaning Myrtle," Ginny said. "They supposedly used her bathroom for one of their worship sessions once, and she's been telling anyone who'd listen- which aren't a lot, so it's still mostly a secret."

_Oh man, I HAVE to find out if those guys exist in my world…_ Harry said.

Ebony didn't have long to feel disturbed, since 'Deedee' came back a few seconds later with a few bottles of butterbeer she said she'd found at the back, although Ebony knew she had made them since there hadn't been any butterbeer when they'd gone foraging for food a while ago. 'Deedee' went back to praising Harry as if nothing had happened, eventually bringing the adults back into their conversation. Lupin and Black were both hard-pressed to hold back smiles, sitting casually together and being more friendly- if unknowingly- to each other than they had been in a long time. Mrs. Weasley was swinging back and forth between being scandalized and amused at some of the things 'Deedee' was saying, and Bill, Charlie and Dumbledore were just plain amused.

At one point, Ebony could feel Mrs. Weasley's gaze upon her prompting her to eat, but just then, 'Deedee' interrupted her tirade and pointed at her just as she lifted her hand up for some bacon. "Ooo-hhh NO! None of that! You've had quiet enough breakfast for one morning, Cassandra-chan! Heck, I've already let you indulge more than is proper! So stop it right there, Cassandra-chan. I know you want to get a little more rounded, but your health comes before your vanity!"

_And you say…_ Harry prompted.

Ebony bowed her head like a child who'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "Yes, Deedee," she said, in tones that made it sound like she'd said much the same many times before.

"What was that?"

Ebony caught herself. No, must not laugh! "Yes, Deedee-_chan_."

'Deedee' nodded solemnly at the correct addition of her title. "And don't you forget it! Your dad would have my head on a stick if anything happened to you!"

There was a silence that was uncomfortable on the other children's part, and filled with struggle on Harry and Ebony's part as they struggled not to laugh.

Finally, Hermione said, "What does that mean? You keep adding 'chan' to each other's name."

Again, Harry' voice came on in Ebony's head. "Well, it's supposed to be a Japanese endearment between friends- or at least, that's what Miss-anime-fanatic says- but I'm not really sure we're using it the right way. She started insisting on it after she came back from a two-week vacation in Japan when she was five. Fourteen days and she acts like she knows Japanese."

"A girl can learn a lot in two weeks!" 'Deedee' protested.

Ebony smirked at her. "According to your mom, you stayed in the hotel room and watched anime the whole time!"

"So? A girl can learn a lot from anime!"

At this point, the discussion lost sense…

Eventually, food was finished being consumed, dishes were put away, and the Weasley children were going upstairs to their rooms. 'Deedee' had offered to wash the dishes, but Mrs. Weasley would hear none of it, saying she'd already done enough in preparing the food. Black excused himself to go upstairs and feed Buckbeak, and Dumbledore left for some save-the-world-against-Voldemort matter or other. Ebony and 'Deedee'/Harry trailed behind the rear of the children as they made their way out of the kitchen.

"Hey," Ron said as they reached the entrance hall, "what happened to all the portraits?"

The two at the rear merely exchanged smiles and said nothing.

They left the others and headed to Ebony's room on the first floor, neither saying a word. When they finally got there, they closed the door, locked it, then started to laugh. They laughed, and they laughed and they laughed…

"That was rich!" Ebony finally managed to say some time later as she lay panting one her bed, wiping a tear out of the corner of her eye, trying to regain her breath.

"Why, thank you!" Harry said, still in girl-form, lying on the floor and also doing her best to get oxygen back in her lungs. Her top hat had fallen off some time ago and was lying rolled half under the bed, near Harry's head.

Still snickering, Harry waved her hand and Cassidy suddenly reappeared, laughing hard and a twitching bundle of wood on the floor.

"Hmm, I've been wondering where you've been," Ebony drawled as she turned over on her bed so she was lying on her stomach, looking over the edge at the two.

"I just made her invisible and silent," Harry said, snapping her fingers and suddenly lying on a thick mattress on the floor that had grown in about half a second, like a plant. "Wouldn't do to have her there, after all. I really couldn't think of any kind of cover story where she'd be explained away, so I erased her from the script. A pity, really. She might have been able to provide comic relief."

The two looked at each other and started laughing all over again…

----------------------------------------

And so, as the days went by, Deedee was integrated into the day to day business of those who lived in the house. Because of 'Deedee's' claims of 'Cassandra's medical condition, Mrs. Weasley had to stop force-feeding Ebony, something the girl was eternally grateful for. Mrs. Weasley assumed that this was a real condition stemming from her Harry days that she'd been too embarrassed to tell her about, for fear of offending her. Close enough.

Harry was also able to finagle being allowed to sleep in Ebony's room, despite Mrs. Weasley's protests (cut off when Harry explained it the same way he'd explained it to Lupin), and another cot was moved in. The room took on an unusual, almost schizophrenic appearance. On one side was Ebony's stuff, which was plain and a tad bit messy in a lived-in sort of way.

On the other side was a solid wall of Harry pictures.

'Deedee'/Harry had completely plastered her side of the room with Harry pictures, arguing that a fangirl must have her objects of worship, just in case any of the other children popped by, which they did now that there were more people inhabiting the room, although it was usually to invite them to leave said room, since 'Deedee' tended to monologue about Harry when in the presence of the pictures. The first time it happened, even Hermione was torn between falling asleep in boredom and going red with embarrassment!

Cassidy remained invisible most of the time, although she and Tonks seemed to have developed an unlikely friendship, and would chat together whenever they could get away from those who didn't know about the situation.

Harry and Ebony grew closer, right under the other children's noses. Since the script Harry had cooked up involved Deedee and Cassandra to be practically friends from birth, they acted the parts, with the result that they really _did_ become close friends.

Harry, _this _Harry, was unlike anyone Ebony had ever met. He was, strange as it may seem, _quite_ different from herself. He was outgoing, occasionally blunt, with a strange sense of humor that she nevertheless found funny. For some bizarre reason, he reminded her a bit of Malfoy, the way he tended to smirk. The time she'd suggested it, he'd just laughed and said he was a lot better looking than 'the idiot'. She didn't know if she'd have reacted like that if someone had compared her to Malfoy back during third year. It was more likely she'd have taken it as a supreme insult.

But the strangest thing about him, in Ebony's perception, anyway, was that he _accepted_ her. Period. No _ifs_, _ands_, strings or genetics attached. It was a daunting realization for Ebony. All her life, people had never really accepted _her_. Oh, she'd been taken in, but there was always some kind of preconception attached. Ron hadn't initially seen him/her, he'd been awed by being in the same train compartment as the great, the legendary Harry Potter, and been loaded down by all the preconceived notions that his view of him/her had contained. So had Hermione, with the twist that she'd seen him/her as a subject from a book she'd read and was having the chance to study first-hand. The whole of Hogwarts had seen him/her with a variation of this view in one way or another. Snape had been a prime example. And now that Ebony thought of it, she wasn't really sure if living with her, seeing her everyday back when she was still 'Harry', had done anything to change their view of her. Ginny had still been crushing on 'the great Harry Potter' for the past few years, even though s/he'd saved her from the Basilisk (although that incident might have _enhanced_ the heroic image, compounding the problem in that particular case).

Strangely, the people she suspected of being least affected by any preconceptions regarding her were the twins, Fred and George. Even Mrs. Weasley had some kind of image of him. Even- _especially_- Sirius. Perhaps Dumbledore didn't, but she really couldn't be sure. There was always something…

Harry, however…

Between the two of them, they were just themselves. True equals. He accepted her wholly, never assumed anything about her, took her as she was, as she saw herself to be, as she wanted herself to be, no questions or conditions asked. There were no pasts or preconceptions between them, no being either the Boy-Who-Lived or the Heir 0f Slytherin. He treated her in a way she had never really been treated: normal. And to Ebony, normal was priceless…

He was also a _tad_ over-protective. Just how over-protective was demonstrated during an Order meeting they'd been asked to attend…

----------------------------------------

When Snape finished his report on Voldemort's recent activities, Ebony turned around and knocked on the dark barrier Harry had set up around himself. He put it up every time they talked about Voldemort's current activities, saying he didn't want to know what was going to happen in his future. When asked why he didn't care so much about knowing Voldemort would eventually come back, he'd shrugged and said, "Because I knew he eventually would". Just that. No explanation. The barrier was sound-proof, keyed so that only _her_ knock could be heard through it. Why he insisted on it being _her_ knock, she had no idea.

He looked up from his manga- something entitled **_Oh! My Goddess!_**- at her knock, and waved the barrier away. "Done talking about the snake bastard?"

After a few days around him, they'd grown used to his many appellations for Voldemort. Some had tried using some themselves, but couldn't quite get the nerve, although more had started calling him 'Voldemort'.

Dumbledore nodded. "Now, Ebony, due to Voldemort's… shall we say, enthusiasm?- to find you, it is becoming clear to me that more measures will have to be taken to ensure your safety."

Ebony nodded as Harry listened placidly. That had been the espoused reason for their attendance at this meeting. Actually, Ebony was the only one whose presence was necessary, but Harry had made it his business to know anything that affected her safety. He was starting to remind her of how Sirius had acted during fourth year. She wouldn't be surprised to know he'd planted some kind of tracking spell on her person without her knowing. He was certainly capable of it.

Before Dumbledore could continue, however, Black said, "What's the point?"

At this, Dumbledore frowned at him, while Lupin, Snape and Mrs. Weasley glared at the Animagus, as if he'd said something against Ebony again. Next to her, Ebony could feel the temperature of the area around Harry dropping, as it was wont to do when the Dark Heart's powers were accessed unconsciously, something she'd learned from previous similar encounters with Black.

"What do you mean, Sirius?" Dumbledore said, sounding patient.

Black gestured towards Harry. "Look, he said it himself: he could kill Voldemort with one shot! So let's have him do it!"

Harry glared at Black. "If you'd listened for longer, you'd also remember I said I _wouldn't_! Get that through your skull!"

This was not the first time Black had brought this up.

Dumbledore sighed. "Sirius, we have discussed this before-"

"You can _do it_, Harry!" Black said, seemingly ignoring what the two had said. Ebony wondered if he'd been drinking fire-whiskey again. "I _know_ you can! Think about what happened to James and Lily: you can finally kill the one who killed them! And when Voldemort's gone, there'll be no one to protect the spa-"

He was cut off as Harry bound to his feet, the Dark Heart suddenly appearing around his neck, pulsing darkly, beating like it was agitated. He glowed darkly, a stygian nimbus surrounding his form, and the table suddenly shattered in two. People scrambled back, not liking where this was going.

Harry's face was twisted in rage, his jaw set, gritting his teeth. "For the sake of the women present, I'll be polite," he said icily. "_Take that back!_"

Black seemed to realize he'd said too much, but either he was too proud to back down, or this was something he'd wanted to say for a long time. "What? It's true! With Voldemort dead, there'll be no reason to keep…_her_ alive as bait!"

"Bait?" Harry said silkily, and the temperature in the room literally dropped. "Is that all she is to you? **_BAIT?_**"

Ebony felt that ache in her heart again as she was torn between anger and despair.

"You have no right to pass judgement on her! Who are YOU to talk? YOU'RE the one who killed my parents! YOU WERE THEIR SECRET KEEPER! AND YOU SOLD THEM TO VOLDEMORT! IF THERE'S ANYONE I SHOULD KILL, IT SHOULD BE YOU!"

"Harry, I don't know what that little snake spawn's been telling you-" Black said, panicked, as if realizing finally his life was in mortal danger, but it was the wrong thing to say. Growling, Harry's eyes glowed for an instant, and Black was thrown back by a dark force and sent flying across the room, slamming into the far wall and getting the wind knocked out of him.

Before everyone's eyes, Harry began to change as he strode towards Black. His form shifted, growing taller, more mature, looking like a sixteen year-old. His skin went pale, his black coat flowing behind him like an ill winter wind, Eyes that were emerald green were now purest black, as if the sockets led into the void of nothingness between stars. He held out his right arm to his side, and frost began to billow from it, a thin layer of ice forming, growing thicker as he walked. His forearm became encompassed in a solid block of ice, which rippled, shooting outward down the length of his arm and worming a giant icicle. Light glinted off the needle-like point.

Time seemed to slow around the Order members as they finally started reacting, but it was like they were moving in Jell-O. They could only watch as what seemed like Death incarnate stalked slowly and purposefully towards Black.

Reaching down, Harry made a grasping gesture around Black's neck. Raising his arm as if hoisting something, Black was lifted into the air. He stiffened as he came level with those blank, merciless eyes, shaking like a leaf in a gale.

"Do you have _any_ idea what kind of hell Ebony's been through?" Harry hissed. "DO YOU? I have. I've lived it for the past thirteen years. At least I've had the Dark Heart to take me away when it became unbearable. She had _nothing!_ And now you want to build on top of that? I don't know what my father saw in you, because there's no way garbage like you would have ever become my friend."

Harry stopped as Ebony's hand fell on his shoulder, before flinching away as if burned. Her hand felt like she'd put it in the lake in the middle of winter. How did he become that cold?

"Harry, don't!" she said, reluctant to touch him again. "Don't hurt him, please! It's not worth it!"

With a growl, Harry dropped Black to the ground, the icicle on his arm dissolving into nothing. Without another word, he stalked off, his form changing from that of Death to Deedee, leaving a silent kitchen in his wake.

As usual, Dumbledore was the first to speak, and what he said made everyone wonder about his marbles.

"Oh my," he said. "I suppose we'll have to ask Mister Potter to fix the table."

----------------------------------------

Ebony found Harry lying down on the cot they'd moved into her room, still in his Deedee form. Cassidy was already asleep at her usual pillow.

"How'd the meeting go?" Harry said glumly, staring up at the ceiling.

Ebony tried to crack a smile. "We didn't get far. Dumbledore wants to ask you to fix the table."

Harry snapped her fingers. "Done."

There was silence as Ebony sat down and started combing her hair in preparation for Occlumency practice.

"I'm sorry," Harry said abruptly. "I guess I embarrassed you."

Ebony paused in her brushing for a moment, before continuing. "You didn't embarrass me. He… had it coming. And I suppose it would have happened eventually."

"I really have to do something about that guy," Harry mused out loud.

Ebony stiffened.

Harry noticed the sudden silence. "Not like that!" she said. "Just something to change his attitude! At least get him off your back! I won't be around forever, and I have a feeling a guy like you wouldn't really like being defended by a thirteen year old kid."

Ebony raised an eyebrow. "Guy?" she repeated.

"Or girl, however way you want to play it," Harry said. "I'm surprised you don't get confused sometimes. I mean, from what you've told me, it hasn't really been that long since you thought you were a natural born male of the species."

"You mean back when I was still Harry Potter?" Ebony said, a touch of bitterness in her voice.

Harry gave her a strange look. "What are you talking about? You _are_ Harry Potter."

"No, I'm not. I'm Ebony Layla Riddle," she retorted, the bitterness increasing.

"Ebony Layla _Evans_," Harry corrected. "Depends on whose name you want to keep, your mother or your father's."

Ebony blinked. She'd never considered it that way.

"As for the other: what ever gave you that idea?" Harry said, turning over on her side to face her.

Ebony sent her an incredulous look. "Isn't it obvious?" she said, gesturing towards her body.

Harry gestured at her own body in reply. "So? What difference does it make if you're male or female? You're still Harry Potter where it counts."

Ebony frowned, not sure what to make of that statement.

Harry shrugged. "Well, I'm not really up to arguing the point. Maybe some other time."

Waving her hand, Harry made her music box appear as she settled down on the cot to sleep, leaving Ebony with a lot to think about…

----------------------------------------

Like we said, a tad-over-protective…

----------------------------------------

Not all of what happened was like that. Nope, not all…

Harry and Ebony grew closer as time passed, mainly because they knew the truth about each other. Ebony had warned Harry about Ron's potential/definitely-there crush, to which Harry had smirked, saying, "That's my line."

"Huh?"

"Dummy. He has a crush on **_you_** too!"

The idea of a guy- of _Ron_, of all people!- having a crush on her was disturbing and not a little icky. After Harry stopped laughing at the look on her face, he appeased her, saying that the information- false as it was- of them being cousins had apparently discouraged him from that line of thinking, although he sometimes fantasized about it. When she asked how Harry knew this, the Keeper of the Dark Heart just smiled mysteriously, saying, "There are no secrets from a telepath."

Then he shattered the aura of mystique by grinning and added, "Besides, sometimes I 'hear' him angsting and thinking some definitely un-cousin-ly thoughts."

Yup, very disturbing.

The two of them helped out in the 'cleaning' of the Black house, which was interesting, to say the least. Not only did it contain a large amount of cursed items, homicidal furniture and creepy portraits, a lot of Wizarding-World pests had decided to make their homes here. Harry/Deedee and ex-Harry/Ebony/Cassandra found this very annoying, wishing there were normal pests, like cat-sized rats and swarms of mosquitoes. The latter was even more annoyed since, because there were witnesses, s/he couldn't unload his/her stress with the Dark Heart. S/he'd been wondering whether s/he could create or summon something like an Eidolon…

Still, there were times he was able to convince the resident adults to let him/them do things, like the time with the Boggart, although that didn't quite turn out as planned…

Tonks, Lupin, Moody, Ebony, Cassidy, and Harry stood in the drawing room of the Black house in the middle of the night, all eyeing the writing desk in the corner, which was trembling every so often.

"Tell me what that thing is again?" Cassidy asked Tonks, whose head she was holding on to.

"It's a Boggart," Tonks said, her manner showing she was used to the position of the wooden doll. "It's a Dark Creature that's a shape-shifter. It turns into the thing you fear most."

"That's it?" Cassidy said. "No soul sucking, flesh-rending, brain melting?"

"Uh, no," Tonks said. She'd clearly never considered that part of the Boggart's abilities.

"Then why are we bothering with it? I mean, it's not dangerous, or anything…"

"It's a pest, and it tends to be unpleasant for those exposed to it," Harry said, waving his wand and muttering _riddikulus_ under his breath. "Besides, it's more interesting than spraying evil fairies."

Ebony gave him a look, amused at his description of Doxies.

"So what'll it turn into when it sees you?" Cassidy asked her traveling companion.

Harry shrugged. "I have no idea."

Ebony and Lupin blinked, exchanging glances. "You don't?" they chorused.

"I wasn't allowed to fight the Boggart during our DADA class earlier this year," Harry explained. "So, no, I have no idea."

"They turn into Dementors when they see me," Ebony said.

Harry gave her a sideways look. "That would mean you're afraid of… fear? Hmm… I envy you. At least you _know_ what you're afraid off. I don't have a clue."

"That's why you're doing this?" Lupin said, surprised. "You want to know what you're afraid of?"

Harry shrugged. "Partly. I'm also bored as heck!"

Lupin looked at Moody in astonishment. The old man only shrugged, although a small smile wrinkled his face. "We're just supposed to back him up while he does this. And we would have gotten rid of the Boggart anyway. Molly would have. Best the boy knows what he's afraid of sooner instead of later."

Lupin sighed at the setback, but he wasn't giving up. "At least have some chocolate ready in case it _does_ become a Dementor," he said.

Harry materialized the Dark Heart, pulling an elegant white box out of it. "Done," he said, setting the box on a table at the opposite side of the room.

Tonks examined the box curiously. "What brand is this? I don't recognize it."

"It's from a little shop somewhere in Switzerland," Harry said. "A friend introduced me to it."

"Your friend has good taste," Dumbledore said as he strode into the room, looking at the box in passing. "I particularly enjoy this brand of muggle sweets."

Harry chuckled as he turned to look at the Headmaster, who they hadn't been expecting. "And here I was thinking you only liked sherbet lemons."

"What are you doing here, Headmaster?" Lupin asked as the old man positioned himself with the others as far away from the writing desk as possible.

The Headmaster smiled. "After Mister Potter's interesting presentation on the first floor a few days ago, I thought I would watch and see what sort of magicks he would use in this instance as well, if any."

"He'd better keep it quiet," Cassidy said, glaring at her traveling companion.

They all fell silent as Harry raised his hand and made an opening gesture, causing the cabinet door to unlock and swing open slowly. Everyone held their breath. Cassidy got bored and started counting the number of snakes in the room's décor.

At first, there was nothing. Then, a ghostly-white hand stretched out of the small opening and grasped the edge, hauling itself out, it's back turned to the. It wore black, darker than night, deeper than pitch. For a moment, Ebony thought it was a Dementor after all.

Then it turned to face them, and a pair of horribly familiar green eyes, on a death-white face contorted into an insane, evil grin regarded them.

The Boggart-Harry turned it's death-mask towards them. "What's the matter? Can't deal with what you really are?"

Harry raised his eyebrow. "I don't look like Micheal Jackson," he said contemptuously.

The Boggart didn't answer. Still grinning, it grasped something around it's neck, and Ebony's breath caught. She could clearly recognize the Dark Heart.

Harry frowned as he raised his hand to his own chest, grasping the comforting presence of the pendant that rested there. "Nice try," he said, "But I know it's still with-"

Grinning, the Boggart made a grasping gesture as if pulling something out of thin air, and suddenly, Ron was there, in the same pair of pajamas he'd worn as he went to sleep earlier that evening. Ron's sleepy eyes went wide as he saw Harry, but before he could articulate something, the Boggart reached for his neck from behind, stroking it almost tenderly-

-before ripping it apart in an explosion of blood. Tonks and Cassidy let out an involuntary scream as Ebony called out Ron's name. Ron gurgled, and blood started dripping down his mouth. He jerked as an icicle attached to the Boggart's arm pierced his chest.

"I never did like the jealous little weasel," the Boggart said airily. It's smile grew bigger. "I think I'll kill them all."

Grasping the Dark Heart around it's neck, which pulsed darkly, the Boggart made a waving gesture, and the twins and Percy suddenly appeared, dropping to the floor before them. The three barely had time to look around before they were all impaled by icicles that flowered out of the ground. The Boggart's laughter echoed through the room as the blood flowed from their heads.

Tonks promptly turned around and threw up, and Ebony followed soon after. Cassidy had to scramble quickly after she fell off Tonks' head to avoid getting coated with projectile vomit. Lupin was deathly pale, almost as much as the Boggart. His wand fell from his limp fingers as he looked about to faint. Only Dumbledore and Moody looked calm, although both looked fairly disgusted as well.

Harry had a death grip on the Dark Heart, shaking his head slowly as he watched in morbid fascination. "No," he whispered weakly as the Boggart grinned at him.

"What's the matter?" the Boggart repeated, and Harry recognized it was speaking Parseltongue. "Afraid of the truth? _This_ is what you really are! After all, what else could become of the Keeper of the Dark Heart…?"

"No," Harry said, somehow weaker than before. "I'm not like this…"

"Oh, but you _are!_" the Boggart said. "You have _so_ much power! What else is the result?"

Waving his hand again, Hermione fell out of thin air, and was instantly knocked awake as a result. Blearily, she looked around, her eyes widening as she saw Harry before her. "Harry…? Cassandra? What's going-?"

She was interrupted as the Boggart suddenly pulled her upright, pressing her against itself. "_Sssoooo_ beautiful, isn't she?" the Boggart drew out, caressing her cheek, before dragging it's hand down her chest. Hermione whimpered, suddenly unable to speak. The Boggart chuckled darkly. "I don't whether to kill her… or take her…"

It turned it's insane grin towards Harry. "Why not both?"

Ripping off Hermione's top, it turned her towards itself, and kissed her hungrily, ignoring her cries and protests. It's hand grasped lower, and suddenly there was a cry of pain as-

"STOP IT!" Harry cried. Thrusting out his hand, the one _not_ wrapped around the Dark Heart like his life depended on it, he let out a wordless cry, followed immediately by an enormous ball of fire that flew relentlessly towards the Boggart.

Grinning, the Boggart tossed Hermione directly into the fire's path. Hermione barely managed to scream, "HARRY, NO-" before she was completely incinerated.

"Hermione!" Harry and Ebony cried.

"Oh, pity. I wanted to have more fun. But you_ killed her! _YOU!" it screamed, condemning. The Boggart chuckled. Grinning maniacally, it began to stride confidently towards Harry. "I am your future! There is no escaping me! You will fall to the darkness within you, brought out by the darkness you are so fond of using. I _will_ come forth!- and you will take your place by my side!" Lord Voldemort said as he loomed over Harry.

Harry took an involuntary step back. Tripping over nothing, he fell to the ground, scrambling futilely to get away from the vision before him. "No…" he said as if it were a prayer, one he did not believe would be heard. Raising his arm in front of his face, he tried to block his view of the atrocity before him, his knees curling up to his chest…

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" a voice screamed.

The Boggart turned, and was immediately met with fireballs to the face. A stream of fire struck it's chest and pushed it back as it screamed in pain.

Ebony shook her head, trying to clear it of the nightmare she'd seen so recently as Cassidy screamed at her to do something. Grasping her wand, she ran past the flame the little doll made as she headed for Harry, who was curled up on the floor, repeating the word 'no' over and over again. Grabbing his arm, she tried to pull him up, tried to get him away, even as the Boggart turned it's gaze towards her…

Ebony swore the cold came even as she met it's eyes. It's face was enfolded by it's coat as the Boggart transformed into a Dementor. Ebony felt the screams beginning to echo in her mind as it's effect began to take root. She tried to hold it back, and found herself slightly more successful than she used to be, not knowing it was a slight effect of her nightly Occlumency practice. Raising her wand, she spoke the words that have often held her in good stead. "_Expecto Patronum!_"

Prongs leapt out in a burst of silver from a shapeless cloud, charging the Boggart-Dementor and forcing it back.

"Harry, come on!" she yelled as the shape-shifter was forced back by a combination of the Patronus and fire. Slowly, Harry began to drag himself in the direction she was tugging him, moving like a robot.

"_Riddikulus!_" Lupin yelled, waving his wand at the Boggart. The spell seemed to have little power behind it, however, as the Boggart-Dementor was only pushed back slightly, and a sound that sounded hauntingly like chuckling could be heard beneath it's cowl.

"Hermione… Ron…" Harry muttered.

"It wasn't real, Harry!" Ebony said, looking up briefly to see that Dumbledore, Moody and Tonks had joined the fray. None seemed to be doing much to the Boggart, she saw- although she supposed seeing those things tends to put a damper on ones ability to think of funny or happy thoughts.

"Not real…?" Harry whispered, looking at her, the first reaction he'd had.

"No!" Ebony said. "It was all the Boggart's illusions!"

"Illusion…" Harry repeated, closing his eyes. For a moment, Ebony panicked.

Then the Dark Heart glowed, long and steady.

Harry's eyes snapped open, glowing with a dark inner light. "BOGGART!" he yelled. A distant part of Ebony's mind was glad Harry had cast those sound-proofing barriers before they did this.

Harry disappeared in a swirl of black mist, only to reappear again, upright and mad as blazes. "Leave him to me!" he yelled.

Startled, the combatants needed no urging to pull back from the Boggart. Seeing who was approaching it, the Boggart changed back to the twisted parody of Harry it had started the evening as.

Harry didn't give it a chance to speak this time. "You are not me!" he said firmly. "You're a nightmare I dream in my darkest hell, one I'll never bring to life! And now, you die. Know fear, Boggart!"

Waving his arm expansively, Harry drew a dark cage around the Boggart, who grit and gnashed it's teeth, screaming things at him in Parseltongue, things that chilled Ebony's blood as she listened to them. Harry, however, was completely expressionless.

"Know fear and die," he said simply, holding out his palm and closing his hand.

The Boggart's pseudo-eyes bugged out, seeing something only it could glimpse, and suddenly, it started screaming like a tortured soul from the deepest abyss, screaming and screaming in obvious fear. It's form shifted, becoming amorphous, turning upon itself uncertainly as it raised arms that dissolved into tentacles, than wisps of smoke, trying to ward off it's own imaginary horrors…

When it was over and gone. Harry just stood there, staring at the spot where he'd destroyed the Boggart, the same spot where 'Ron, 'Fred', 'George', 'Percy', and 'Hermione' had 'died' at the unstained carpet. Slowly, he turned to face the others.

"You know," he said tonelessly, "I think I would have preferred the Dementor."

With those words, his eyes rolled up the back of his head and he collapsed into Ebony's arms.

Ebony stumbled as she caught the Keeper of the Dark Heart, staring out at the spot as well. "What was that thing, professor?" she asked Dumbledore, who stood beside her. "What was he afraid of?"

The Headmaster bowed his head forward, throwing his face in shadow. He suddenly seemed older, somehow. "His Darkness," Dumbledore said. "That is what he fears. His Darkness within. He fears turning to evil…"

Ebony, remembering what she had seen, shuddered…

Harry was quiet the following night after the incident as they got ready for bed. Quiet for her, anyway. She was still humming.

"Ebony?" she said as Ebony got ready to pull up her blankets. Cassidy, sitting next to her and stroking her knee in an attempt to comfort her, looked up at her, worry evident on the doll's face, even though the wood was immobile.

"Yes, Harry?" she said.

"Can I… can I sleep next to you tonight?" she said timidly. "I… I don't want to be alone in the dark…"

Ebony pursed her lips. "Sure," she said after a short hesitation, scooting a little closer to the wall and pulling the blanket open.

Smiling gratefully, Harry moved over to her bed, Cassidy grasping her clothes and moving on with her. When she looked questioningly at her, she just gave him a _look_. Harry looked at Ebony, who shrugged, and that was that.

After she set up the music box, Harry lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, Cassidy curled up between her and Ebony in a token nod to her duty as chaperone.

Finally, Harry sighed. "I'm sorry you all had to see that," she said quietly.

Ebony swallowed. She'd had nightmares the night before, and for once, they weren't about Voldemort or Cedric. "At least now you know what you're afraid off," she replied, just as softly.

Harry sighed. "I don't get why I'm like this. It was all an illusion, I know that! The Dark Heart contains memories of worse things! So why does it haunt me so much?"

"Maybe it's because it's got your face on it?" Cassidy said, snuggling close. "I know that would be enough to haunt _me_."

Harry sighed, unconsciously stroking Cassidy's hair. "Probably," she said.

The three said nothing more, letting the soft music fill the room…

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Harry eventually got back to normal after a couple days. The other kids didn't suspect a thing. Why should they? They spent most of their energy blocking out the Harry rants, as they called them, so they really weren't able to spare much too pay attention to the fact 'Deedee' had been more subdued. It was a tribute to Harry's ability to act, supplemented by generations of Dark Keeper's memories, that no one noticed a thing. Even the adults who'd been present were surprised to see Harry acting completely normal the following day, as if nothing had happened. Only Ebony and Cassidy knew the truth, and they weren't talking.

The incident had caused one minor difference in the workings of the household, however. Since that first night, Harry, Ebony and Cassidy had taken to sleeping together. All three had begun having nightmares. They were usually indistinct, shadow forms where blood and ice seemed to stand out, followed by familiar screams. Cassidy sometimes dreamt of the time Nerissa betrayed her. Ebony kept returning to the graveyard. And Harry…

Whatever it was, Harry always woke up whimpering in fear. In some ways, that was worse than screams…

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"…and she _just wouldn't shut up!_" Harry said, eliciting an amused sound from Ebony that was somewhere between a chuckle and a giggle. Cassidy was shaking with mirth, trying to hold it in, as she had a tendency to laugh _very_ loudly. "She kept bugging Will and Cornelia what it was like, and was it any better than kissing a boy, and what each other tasted like. So I kissed her."

Ebony moved to low laughter as Cassidy let loose. "Oh, I wish I could have seen that," Ebony said, knuckling a tear from her eye.

"_I_ don't," Harry said, blushing as she tried to keep from squirming. Damn too similar bodily responses! "It was embarrassing enough as it was!"

Cassidy snickered. "Harry and Hay Lin, sitting in a tree…" she began to sing.

"_Deedee-chan_ and Hay Lin," Ebony corrected, grinning.

Harry buried her face in her hands, but she was grinning as she did so. "You guys are evil, you know that? Okay, Cass and I are done, so it's your turn! First kiss! Out with it!"

"Pass," Ebony said, looking somehow pleased and embarrassed.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Harry exclaimed. "Two years older than me, and you're still a kiss virgin?"

Ebony blushed deeper. "Do you have to put it like that?" she exclaimed right back.

Cassidy shook her head remorsefully. "Never been kissed, never been touched… old maid in the making!"

"Hey! I'm not an old maid, I'm just a late bloomer!" Ebony protested. "And besides, I _have_ been kissed!"

"Mrs. Weasley and that peck on the cheek Hermione gave you in first year before you went up against squirrel Quirell don't count," Harry said.

"Dang!" Ebony swore.

Harry shook her head. "I can't believe you've never been kissed yet! Okay, that settles it! Tomorrow, we're going out and finding you a nice boy or girl to kiss!"

"Hear, hear!" Cassidy yelled.

"You guys!" Ebony said in protest. The two degenerated into laughter, showing they didn't mean it. Ebony was glad for that. She _really_ didn't want to think of what these two were capable of. When they weren't fighting, they were a force to be reckoned with.

A melancholy mood suddenly enfolded her, and she sighed heavily. "Besides," she said quietly, in such a marked contrast to her previous tones that the other two fell silent. "Who would want to kiss the Heir of Slytherin, anyway?"

Harry casually reached over and flicked her ear.

"OW!" Ebony said. She rubbed the offended appendage. "What was that for?"

"You're being silly again," Harry said, as if stating a fact. "One, you're not someone's heir if you refuse what you're inheriting. Two, it's not like you have 'Heir of Slytherin' tattooed on your forehead," this with an unconscious rub on her own forehead, "Three, anyone who swings that way takes one look at the real you, and they won't care about anything else _but_ trying to kiss you."

"Hear, hear!" Cassidy repeated, nodding along.

Ebony's blush was even worse this time around. "Wha-?"

"Oh, come on! Don't tell me you don't think you're real form isn't hot!" Harry said, smirking that Malfoy-esque smirk at her. "I might be thirteen, but I know what I like."

"Disturbing as that is to hear, coming from someone your age," Cassidy muttered.

At Ebony's skeptical look, Harry rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll prove it to you."

Her form shifted, and suddenly, Ebony was looking at a face she hadn't seen in the mirror for quite a while. An emerald green eye matched with a red eye with a slitted pupil stared back at her. Her true form stood before her, looking exactly as it had that time a few days ago when Harry had asked if he could see it. Well, that wasn't exactly true. She couldn't remember having a smoky grin, or that look in her eye, or that husky voice, even as those lips began to edge closer to her own…

Shaking her head, she raised a hand. "Alright, you've proven your point, now stop it!" she said, slightly more forcefully than she'd intended.

Grinning, Harry did no such thing. Instead, she lay back on the pillows. "You see? You were overcome by your own form's innate hotness," she said, managing to say it with a straight face. "Those poor sods out there won't stand a chance!"

"That's your opinion," Ebony said, still flushed.

"Yes, it is, and thus, I place a high level of regard on it," Harry said airily.

Ebony snorted. "I still think no one is going to want to kiss someone like me."

"I'd kiss someone like you," Harry said casually.

Ebony took a moment to register those words, her head jerking towards her when they finally made it to her brain.

"You know, it was for things like this that they put me in this room," Cassidy mused out loud. She stayed where she was, however.

"Yeah, right," Ebony said, noting what Cassidy said but directing her words towards Harry.

Harry grinned. "Would you like me to prove it?"

Harry slowly crept closer, crawling on hands and knees, a predatory look in her eye.

Startled, Ebony drew back, pulling her blanket up to her chest as if that would help.

Closer and closer Harry came, until finally…

Ebony shut her eyes.

A chaste kiss fell on her cheek, barely there, then was gone.

Hesitantly, Ebony opened her eyes, recoiling as she saw the look of pure lust smoldering in Harry's eyes-

- a look that lasted all of point two seconds before she burst out laughing, almost falling out of the bed.

"Oh, the look on your face was priceless!" Harry managed to cough out, laughing all over again. Cassidy wasn't much better, barely coherent, probably glad for once she didn't need to breath.

Ebony tried to growl. "Dursley," she said.

Harry stuck her tongue out at her. Ebony responded in kind. The two of them soon progressed to making funny faces at each other, before falling over the bed laughing again.

"Okay, enough of that," Cassidy said, trying to sound authoritative, although she'd been laughing herself ."Get to sleep! You've got a lot of cleaning to do tomorrow!"

Still snickering, the two huddled together, Cassidy curled up in the hollow between them as Harry changed back to her 'Deedee' form. "G'night Cass. G'night sis," Harry said, closing her eyes and resting her head halfway between the pillow and the crook of Ebony's neck and shoulder, one arm wrapped around Ebony's waist.

Ebony blinked at that, looking down the top of her companion's head, whose hair she was absently stroking. Sis…?

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**- To be continued...**

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A/N: For those who keep asking why Harry isn't in school, the answer is simple: he's in another universe, where time moves differently. Theoretically, he could spend years away, and no time would have passed on his home universe. Understood? That's why no one notices he's gone. Time where he's from is on pause.

As for those who want this to become Harry/Ebony… you really need to read **JuMiKu**'s fic. If you have and still advocate it... **_WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO?_**

Please review, C&C welcome.

Until next time, this is Shadow, signing off.


	11. Partings

A/N: And now, the end of the Ebony Trilogy arc…

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Harry woke up first. She always did. It was one of the habits ingrained into her by the Dursleys, and usually she just rolled over and went back to sleep, to reawaken at a more reasonable hour, but not this time. As was her habit since arriving at the Order's Headquarters, she forced herself to wake up, and slowly and gently began untangling herself from Cassidy and Ebony. She didn't worry about Cassidy being seen. The ex-Guardian had a constant selective invisibility and audibility field around her. Only those who knew about her could see and hear her, removing the threat of her being accidentally stepped on or hit by a lot of people.

Drawing on his opposite of Irma's power, Harry quickly washed and dried herself, a magical 'quickie bath' she'd invented a couple of years ago. Checking herself in the mirror, she hesitated a moment and quickly turned back into a male. Hesitating another moment and glancing at the room's other two occupants, he quickly looked down his pants, nodding in satisfaction when he found what he expected. It was a little paranoia on his part, since he'd _always_ turned back into a guy whenever he did the transformation, but he felt he needed visual confirmation to be sure. It never hurt.

Keeping his senses open, in case any of the residents who didn't know about him happened to decide to wake up early as well, Harry headed for the kitchen, not taking his time but not hurrying either, enjoying the feel of being in male form again.

After a couple of doors out of the room, however, Harry sighed, and subtly– meaning, no arm waving or grand gestures– placed a shield against sound all around the corridor, so that no one would be able to hear. "Get out from under that thing, Black. I know you're there," he said, not bothering to turn around.

There was a pause, and suddenly Sirius Black was standing behind him, having pulled off the Invisibility Cloak he'd gotten from who-knows-where.

Harry only turned his head fractionately, looking at him from out of the corner of his eye. "You've been skulking in front of our door every morning for the past few days, and it's only the fact that you've never tried to enter Ebony's room to kill her that I've let you keep doing it, but enough is enough. I don't like having an invisible stalker. What do you want? And so help me, if you spout any of that non-sense about killing Voldemort, I am turning you into a pile of dung."

Black said nothing. He merely stared at Harry, a strange, longing look on his face.

Grimacing to himself, Harry turned halfway around, glaring at Black in annoyance. "Well?"

Under that gaze, Black gulped. When he opened his moth, however, what he said was, "How can you stand being in the same room with her?"

Harry spun around completely at this, the temperature around him dropping, frosty mist starting to emanate from where his feet were standing on the carpeted floor. "What is _THAT_ supposed to mean?" he growled out.

Black took an involuntary step back, gulping as he remembered what had happened a few nights ago. Still, the Gryffindor in him wouldn't let him back down completely. "She's _Voldemort's daughter!_ Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Harry gave him a _look_. "Is that the only thing that matters to you? Good grief, you're as bad as _he_ is! Look, I'm warning you for the last time, _LEAVE MY SISTER ALONE!_"

Black stared in shock as Harry turned around and walked away in disgust. _Sister?_

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Ebony blinked, just catching a glimpse of her friend, before he closed the door behind himself. She felt a little guilty about her, or rather him, getting up early every morning to make breakfast, but she usually couldn't help him anyway, as he often prefered to create the food, rather than cook it.

Wondering whether Harry would finally crack and give Sirius a piece of his mind for following them, she tried to find a position that was comfortable enough to allow her to go back to sleep, even though she wasn't all that tired any more. It didn't take unlimited powers and just as enormous knowledge provided by some magical jewel to notice that somebody is watching you and she could tell, by the way those eyes made her feel, whom they belonged to.

The girl sighed. She had given up trying to convince herself that she hated the man, because no matter what Harry thought, Sirius wasn't a bad person. He was just not himself at the moment.

Maybe he was even right and she _was _evil, the nasty little part of her claimed. The way she reacted to the Dursley's death was certainly not normal. Although, she pondered, smirking slightly, according to the Dursley's, that was just the heart of the problem: She was born abnormal, so it wasn't really her fault, was it?

Shifting slightly so she could stare at the ceiling, she frowned. What was "evil" anyway? Killing people was the first answer she came up with, but they were in war and in such times good people had to kill, too, didn't they? She knew for a fact that even great people like Moody, Dumbledore and even Harry had killed before.

Those people were not evil though... So killing wasn't _always_ evil...was it?

She settled onto her side, so she was facing in Cassidy's direction and smiled when the other girl, obviously having been up for a while, muttered: "Do you think Harry has killed Black, yet?"

Taking this as an invitation to get up, the young witch chuckled lightly as she wondered how Sirius had avoided getting caught for so long.

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Harry Potter: Keeper of the Dark Heart

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 11: Partings

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, which belongs to J.K. Rowling, or W.I.T.C.H., which belongs (I think) to Disney and some European lady. This is based on the comic book version of W.I.T.C.H., not the cartoon version, or the kiddy book version. I ask any relatives reading this to never bring it up in my presence or I will cut you off from my will. Ebony and her world belong to the Lady Demoness **JuMiKu. **I'm just writing in it. Many thanks to her additions to the original copy.

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When Harry got down to the kitchen, he was slightly surprised to find Snape, Lupin and Mrs. Weasley sitting together at the table. All three looked up as he entered. It looked like they'd been sharing a cup of tea.

"Harry?" Lupin said as Snape's lip started curling again, although not as fast or as much as Harry was used to. He must have been out of practice.

"Mornin'," Harry said, waving lazily. "Do any of you know where Black could have gotten hold of an Invisibility Cloak?"

Lupin frowned. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I just saw him with one in the hall," Harry replied, setting out to catalogue what food they had.

"If he was wearing such a cloak, how did you see him?" Snape said sarcastically, although with less venom than Harry expected. _Was_ he out of practice? Harry had thought being a vindictive git came naturally to him.

"I didn't say he was wearing it. Look, it's too early in the morning for this, and Ebony would have my head if she knew we've been sniping each other, so let's just drop it, okay?" For some reason, Ebony seemed quite fond of Snape. Harry kept thinking to ask why, but never seemed to get around to it.

Turning away from Snape, Harry finished cataloguing and started to work. It only took a little of the Dark Heart's power to create the food he'd need, but he had to make it look like it was food they'd already had at hand in case the other kids compared the contents of the pantry with breakfast or something.

As he set the spells to let the food self-cook, Harry sat down on he far end of the table and stared off into space.

"So, how _are_ you this morning, Harry?" Lupin asked.

Harry shrugged. "No nightmares, thank goodness. Planning out my rant for when the other kids come down," he said, grinning slightly at the last.

Mrs. Weasley and Lupin both shared a chuckle, recalling some of what 'Deedee' had said in the past. Snape, of course, sneered. Harry wondered if he knew any other looks at all. "Do you enjoy singing your own praises, Potter?"

"No matter what I answer to that, you won't believe me," Harry said dryly. "You are _not_ going you bait me. I want to live a little longer, thank-you-very-much. Ebony would kill me."

"Is that so?"

Harry rolled his eyes as Lupin and Snape went rigid, glaring at Black, who'd just come in. "It's a figure of speech, you idiot! Ebony couldn't kill me if she tried. _I'm _the one who might actually kill someone!"

The look he sent Black made it very clear who he meant.

Black ignored the expression, which was pretty stupid of him. "What kind of spell did she cast on you that's making you think she's your sister?"

The others blinked, looking at Harry.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You are dangerously close to physically losing the ability to have children, Black," he said as a swirling sphere of energy materialized in his hand, emanating frosty mist.

Surprisingly, it was Snape who spoke next. "She wouldn't have to do anything, Black," Snape said smoothly. "She _is_ his sister."

Harry took a moment to stare at his unlikely ally, before grinning at Black. "The esteemed Professor Snape is correct, raw garbage," Harry said. "Ebony and I are both the children of Lily Potter– or at least, _a_ Lily Potter. Genetically, that makes us half-siblings. Specifically, my sister."

"You can't be serious!" Black exclaimed in astonishment.

"Dead serious, Black," Harry retorted. "And if you keep slandering my sister like that, you'll be a dead Sirius Black. We Harry Potter's stick together."

Black blinked a moment, deciphering what that meant. "What are you talking about?" he said. "She's not you! She's not my godson!"

"And thank goodness for that," Harry said. "But then, neither am I. Please remember that I'm only keeping from killing you with great difficulty. I am not your godson. If I remember correctly, the local Harry died a long time ago. I don't know what kind of person he would have been, but I'm not him, and he's not me. Disturbing as it must be to consider, Ebony _is_ the closest person to being me in this world. So leave me alone. I already have one homicidal, evil, backstabbing godfather. I don't need two."

He glared at Black. "That's what you've been trying to do, right? Trying to replace your 'godson' with me? Was _that_ why you betrayed my parents?" Harry said, tilting his head to one side. "So you'd get custody of me or something? No, I don't want to hear it!" He raised his hand as Black opened his mouth. "Just leave me alone! And that goes double for Ebony! If I hear you've attacked my sister again…"

"WHAT?" Mrs. Weasley yelled as Lupin straightened. If looks were the _Avada Kedavra,_ Black would have been dead four times over.

"It's true," Harry said. "I was talking to this doorknob and it told me you attacked Ebony!"

"You're trusting what a doorknob says?" Black said, trying to sound incredulous.

"I trust what the doorknob says over you," Harry retorted. "You might as well admit it before I rip your mind apart pulling out the truth."

The situation was tense to say the lease as Ebony and Cassidy entered the kitchen. All eyes were immediately on her, and it took her a second to realize something was off. "What?" Ebony said, wondering what was going on. "Harry, what's that you're holding?"

"Frost Rasengan," he said cheerily. "My own adaptation of a classic."

Black stiffly made his way past the two, who moved aside, recently established instincts taking over. Harry, however, had the final word.

"Stay away from her, Black," Harry said frostily. "She hasn't done anything to you, but cross the line and _I _will. Painfully."

Black paused at those words, his face unreadable, and left the room.

"Well, that's one man who won't be having anything to eat," Cassidy commented.

"What was _that_ about?" Ebony asked.

"Black and I had a disagreement," Harry said dryly. "Breakfast?"

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When Dumbledore dropped by for breakfast that day, he found Deedee holding court about the greatness of Harry Potter. This time it was about his Quidditch ability, after a comment Ron had made about his performance as a Seeker. The others, all used to this by now, simply blocked her out, while having all the appearance of listening. Dumbledore chuckled. Harry really seemed to be enjoying himself… or should it be 'herself'?

Deedee perked up as she saw him. "Hey, professor!" she said, breaking of her litany and waving to him. The first time he'd come for breakfast, she'd acted suitably impressed, if a bit over the top. After a while, though, she'd toned down her reactions somewhat. "I was wondering if I could make a request."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "A request, Deedee?" he said as he started helping himself to some of the food. Deedee was very good not only at creating food, but at cooking it as well.

Deedee nodded. "Do you mind if Cassandra-chan and I go to Diagon Alley? I've seldom been there, ad it's always fun. And Cassandra-chan says she thinks she needs to buy a couple more rolls of parchment and quills. Please? Pretty please? With sugar on top?"

It was a good thing Snape had already left, otherwise, he might have had a violent reaction at the shear cuteness Deedee was putting out. In his mind, however, Dumbledore heard another request…

Dumbledore somehow found himself agreeing. The others would have come, but Mrs. Weasley put her foot down, saying they'd already done their shopping and that she needed them to clean the house.

That was how Deedee, Cassandra Tonks, and an invisible Cassidy found themselves going to Diagon Alley. At least, that was the expressed destination.

Deedee suddenly turned into an alley, the three followed. "Okay, while no one's watching. Tonks, Cass, you two going to be okay?"

"We'll be fine," Cassidy said as she climbed on to Tonks' head. "Have fun you two!"

Grinning, Deedee changed back to Harry. His black trench coat rippled in the breeze the alleyway generated as he drew Ebony's Firebolt from storage in the Dark Heart. Handed it to it's owner. "Well, at least I know McGonagall will give it back to me," he said. "Call us when it's time, okay? We might lose track."

"Fine," Tonks said in an exaggerated fashion. "Now go and have fun you two!"

The two grinned, and suddenly disappeared in a burst of black mist.

Cassidy sighed. "Well, let's go find those parchments and then do something fun. Ever been to a movie?"

"Not really," Tonks said, trying to make her head appear natural, despite the fact she was carrying an invisible ex-Guardian doll on it. "What is it?"

"That's a surprise…"

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Ebony laughed as she flew. It had been so long since she'd taken her Firebolt out for a spin. She had a sneaky feeling she wouldn't have been allowed to use it at Hogwarts. After all, Harry Potter was the only one in the whole school known to have a Firebolt. It would have been a dead giveaway for Cassandra Prewett to have one.

"Having fun?" Harry called out from his position on the ground. Ebony wasn't really sure where they were, only that the climate seemed to be much warmer. They were on an island somewhere– she could see that much from the air– but she had no idea which island. It seemed uninhabited, though.

"You have no idea!" she cried as she buzzed past him. "It's too bad you don't have your own broom!"

She looked down at where he was standing, but he was gone.

"Boo," a voice behind her right ear said.

Ebony nearly fell off her broom as she turned towards the source of the sound. Harry was grinning at her, floating casually next to her broom. The tail of his coat billowed dramatically behind him.

Ebony's jaw dropped. "You can fly?" she exclaimed.

"I think I mentioned it during my introduction a couple of days ago," Harry mused. "Catch me if you can, Seeker!"

Laughing, Harry turned and flew off, Ebony giving chase as she started laughing as well.

Harry's flight turned out to be more than a match for Ebony's Firebolt, surprising the girl. She didn't think he had it in him. Then again, she mused internally as she followed Harry at break neck-skull-legs-arms-and-spine speed, it was true that when she was Harry, she'd never looked it, but she'd been fast.

Harry flew a challenging course, weaving between trees as Ebony tried to overtake him, instinctively understanding the unspoken rules of the game: whoever was in front led, and the one behind had to try and overtake in order to lead.

"That all you got, 'Bonnie?" Harry called out as he lazily flew between two trees with barely millimeters to spare. Ebony flew around them.

"Not even close!" she said.

Coming to an outcropping of rocks where she knew Harry would either need to turn left or go straight up, Ebony cut the corner, momentarily coming even with Harry, and put on a burst of power, leaving the boy eating her dust and shouting "Hey!".

She stayed right in front of Harry, blocking him as he tried to overtake, while zipping across open fields and through narrow passes at high speed. Coming out of one such passage, Ebony suddenly found herself almost about to crash into a wall of water. Pulling up instinctively, she heard a splash and a lot of sputtering. She snickered: it sounded like Harry had just gotten very wet.

Her supposition was confirmed as a soaking wet streak of black passed her on the way up, spraying her as it passed and yelling "That was low!"

Grinning, Ebony gave chase again…

The two of them wove an intricate course over land, sea and air as they played, dodging around trees, racing waves to shore and generally buzzing around like flies on crack.

After a while, the two of them started a two– person game of Quidditch, using a Snitch Harry had somehow gotten a hold of. He swore he didn't make it and that it wasn't rigged, and that proved to be the case. It was a rather fun couple of dozen rounds as the two released the magic ball and chased after it. Harry proved to be more maneuverable in the air, given the fact he could curl up and make turning easier, but Ebony and her Firebolt were faster and better when it came to dives.

And after _that_ got boring, well…

----------------------------------------

Harry couldn't help but grin at Ebony as they floated opposite to each other. "You sure you want to do this?" he said, cracking his knuckles, loosening his wrists and forming a Frost Rasengan in his hand.

Ebony grinned back as she settled on the 'stirrups' of her Firebolt, swishing her wand and producing a flash of fire. "Oh, yeah," she said, in a tone _very_ reminiscent of Harry.

Harry shrugged, his grin turning predatory, which Ebony matched. "Okay then. "

Forming a ball of ice in his other hand, Harry tossed it into the air. "As soon as it hits the ground," Harry said.

Nodding, Ebony braced herself against her Firebolt, wand at the ready. Harry readied the Frost Rasengan, tuning it down to stage two.

The ball of ice hit the ground and shattered. Out of nowhere, _Liberati Fatali_ started playing in the background.

"_Incendio!_" Ebony cried, and a burst of fire streamed towards Harry. The Dark Keeper threw his Frost Rasengan directly into it, and the construct exploded, momentarily twisting the flame into a whirlwind as the combined effects of the swirling sphere and the temperature differences between the two attacks mixed for a moment. Harry dodged to the side as the flame paused, getting out of it's line of fire.

"_Incendio!_"

Harry hadn't counted on Ebony reacting so fast, however. He barely had time to raise up a shield as the spell struck in a flamethrower fashion. The flames exploded through the shield, stopping inches from him, but the heat made it through. Every single pore in Harry's body started sweat, and he hastily modified the shield to block heat as well, at the same time as he lowered the temperature of the air around him to cool off.

Harry grinned. Now it was _his_ turn.

Ebony paused in midair, biting her lip nervously as she wondered if maybe she'd gone too far with the two quick spells, when suddenly the ball of fire surrounding Harry exploded, followed immediately by a hail of snowballs.

As three instantly hit her in the face, Ebony decided there was no such thing as 'too far'. Thankful for the momentary modification Harry had made on her wand for this fight, Ebony wiped her face of snow, equally thankful for the stirrups that let her stay in place without having to hold on, then quickly retargeted her opponent. "LIGHTNING!" she cried, and gigawatts of electricity shot out of her wand, exploding violently on the shield Harry had barely managed to raise. Suddenly, he vanished.

Ebony blinked, looking around widely, not noticing the music changing to _One-Winged Angel_. A shadow fell over her, and she whirled.

"_Katon: Karyuu Endan!" _Harry cried, and a long stream of fire blasted down on Ebony, who promptly grabbed hold of the shaft oh her broom and dove, spiraling and twisting at random to make her a more difficult target. Looking over her shoulder, she paled. The flame, which had now taken on the appearance of a dragon, was chasing after her. Over the music, she could distinctly hear Harry laughing his head off.

"Oh **_GREAT!_**" Ebony growled as she tried to evade the fire pseudo-_jutsu_. "I've got another dragon on my tail!"

Harry laughed his head off as he watched Ebony being chased around. The dragon was no Aeon or Guardian Force, but it did the trick. She flew widely before suddenly putting on a burst of speed and rushing inland. He was fairly certain she was heading towards the waterfall they'd found earlier. Idly fingering the Dark Heart, he smirked and decided to meet her there.

Ebony rushed right at the cascading face of the waterfall, pointing her wand and sending multiple pseudo-Rasengans at it, causing the water to explode and momentarily part like a curtain. She quickly rushed through the opening just before it closed, barely skidding to a stop– so to speak: you can't 'skid' in mid-air– just short of squashing herself against the rock. Behind her, the _Karyuu Endan_ slammed into the water, fizzling out as pyro met aqua.

Exiting the waterfall from the sides, she looked around, certain Harry hadn't ended their duel yet.

She was right.

"Hey, gorgeous!" he yelled at her from above. She looked.

He was floating at the crest of the waterfall, smirking. Glaring at him, she pointed her wand, pulling up something else she'd heard him use. "_Katon: Karyuu Endan!"_

"_Diamond Dust!_" Harry countered, thrusting both hands at the dragon. His ever-present cold mist gathered, swirling around his arms, before a hail of cold energy and glittering shards of frost rushed forward. The dragon was buffeted by colder-than-arctic winds, before being encased in solid ice. Cut off from oxygen, the dragon snuffed out, and a moment later, the ice shattered, raining down on Ebony.

Ebony dodged, spiraling up, down and around as she avoided the veritable rain of glittering daggers and boulders. Some small ones bounced off the nearly invisible shield Harry had cast on her as a precaution. As soon as there was an opening in the hail, she stabbed her wand upwards at Harry. "_Diamond Dust!_" she copied.

As the cold-based elemental attack began to cake his now-familiar shield with a thick layer of ice, Harry smiled wryly. "So, that's her game now, huh?" he mused aloud, before vanishing into his black mist, just as the ice around his barrier shattered.

The background music– now playing _Duel of the Fates_– echoed amidst the surroundings as Ebony cast about for her opponent, knowing he wasn't the kind to skulk around.

"Boo," a voice whispered behind her ear.

Ebony instantly let her Firebolt drop, twisting in mid-air as she pointed her wand again. "_Rictusempra!_" she cried, causing her target to break out in giggles.

Harry tried to get his lungs under control, even as the Dark Heart began to expunge the foreign magic. As his reaction began to wane, he sought out Ebony with his senses, blinking as he realized she was charging/diving at him. Turning, he was just in time to have a Stunner slam into his stomach. Doubling over, Harry shakily readied another level two Frost Rasengan.

Turning towards Ebony, who was charging again, he threw it at her, just as she raised her wand.

"FROST RASENGAN!"

The two exploded as they met, creating an icy whirlwind that knocked the two back. Harry, recovering first, quickly seized the opportunity. Gathering ice in his hands, he formed a gigantic sword almost as tall as he was. Five smaller blades began to materialize around the still whirling Ebony.

"LIMIT BREAK: OMNISLASH VERSION FIVE!"

----------------------------------------

Ebony and Harry lay back on the ground, lying on a thick layer of snow, one of the after-affects of the rather lengthy 'duel' they'd had. The double Frost Rasengan and Omnislash had seemed to be the signal to up the ante. Both had been very surprised to find the island hadn't been damaged.

"That Aeon thing was very cool," Ebony said, thankful for the cooling breeze that blew past.

"It's a variation of my Astral Drone technique," Harry said, resting his head on his entwined finger, knee bent, his other leg crossed on top of its. "I didn't think you'd try to copy it, though."

"It seemed like a good idea," Ebony replied, remembering when she had 'summoned' the giant dragon, Bahamut. "Mega Flare was pretty cool."

"That Thunder Fury hurt, though," Harry said, shifting unconsciously even though the electric burns were already healed.

Ebony winced. "Sorry."

Harry made an absent wave. "Don't worry about it. I'm hard to kill, remember?"

For a moment, the lay back in silence, relaxing after a rather long, loud, flashy and cathartic fight.

"Harry…?"

"Hmm?"

"Last night… why did you call me 'sis'?"

He looked at her with one eye. "Because you are," he said simply.

Seeing her confusion, Harry sat up, turning to face her. "Your mother is Lily Potter. _My_ mother is Lily Potter. Genetically, that makes us siblings."

Ebony blinked at him. "You really believe that?"

Harry shrugged. "I'd like to think it's so. If anyone would be my sister, I'd like it to be you."

The two fell into another silence.

"Ebony?"

"Hmm?"

"Ignore what Black or anyone else says. Whatever _they_ think, you're still Harry Potter."

Ebony stared at him, wide-eyed. "What are you talking about? I remember you saying something like that before, but that didn't make sense then, and it doesn't make any sense now. Haven't you been paying any attention to what I look like?"

For an answer, Harry waved his hand, and a rippling tingle passed through Ebony. She didn't need to see her reflection to know he'd undone Dumbledore's transfigurations.

"You mean this?" Harry said, sounding amused. "So? It's just your looks. What does that have to do with you being Harry Potter?"

"Harry Potter is a _guy_," Ebony said pointedly.

"It's a guy's _name_," Harry corrected. "No reason a girl can't use it. Besides, what does the name have to do with it? It doesn't have anything to do with who you are. Heck, I use a _lot_ of names– Keeper, Morpheus, Deedee– but they don't change who I am. They're dependant on me, not I on them."

"What are you talking about?" Ebony demanded.

"You seem to think that just because your name has been revealed to be Ebony, you are no longer Harry."

"Care to make sense some time soon?" she growled at him.

"And yet," he continued right over her, a small smile on her lips, "you're acting like me: aggressive, slightly irritable, and a little slow on the uptake. Classic Harry Potter traits."

She blinked.

"You haven't noticed, have you?" he said. "Recently, you've begun acting the way your friends' memories of you say you act. Slightly different, of course, still a bit muted, but you're definitely on the path to acting like the Harry _they_ know."

She frowned at him. "How do you know how I used to act?"

Harry smiled sheepishly. "Um… telepathy?"

When she kept on glaring at him, he shrugged. "I can't help it if I can get into peoples minds!"

"Yes, you can."

"Debatable. But thank you for helping me make my point."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're being a lot more confrontational than you used to be when I first arrived."

Ebony turned away from him. "Why are you saying all this?"

"To remind you of who you are," he said simply.

Ebony laughed bitterly. "I don't need any more of _that_ . Black makes sure of it. I'm Ebony Layla Riddle."

"So bitter…" Harry murmured, almost to himself. "But before that, for the past… fourteen years? For the past fourteen years, you were Harry Potter. I'd say that should take priority in the grand scale of things. After all, that was what you were longest. Besides, why should anything change?"

She looked like him like he was nuts and spouting gibberish she couldn't understand. Then another look that said he should know.

Harry raised an eyebrow at the silent reply. "_I've_ been turning into a girl since I was ten. It's no big deal, and certainly not something to loose your identity over."

"It's not permanent for you."

"If it bothers you that much, why not consider a sex-change operation?"

For some reason, Ebony shuddered.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Or not. Why are you so convinced you're not Harry Potter any more?"

Ebony didn't say anything. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she lowered her head.

Harry sighed. "One step forward, two steps back," he muttered. Another sigh, and he 'poofed' in front of Ebony, sitting cross-legged on the ground. "Look at me."

Nothing.

"Look at me… please."

Ebony turned her face to the side.

"Please… sis."

----------------------------------------

Ebony stared determindedly to the side, unwilling to look at the boy, although he had no idea what he evoked in her with that single word.

Harry was convinced that she was the same person she used to be, but she had a problem with that. She wasn't sure she could - _wanted_ - to be "Harry Potter" any more. Too much had happened to just go back to being the same person again, despite what the kid said. She had changed almost beyond recognition and she was sure her friend only didn't notice, because he had the decency to leave his mind out of her business.

_Something_ seemed to grip Ebony's heart. Her body, almost on it's own, raised it's head to meet piercing green eyes, twin of one of her own.

Gently, Harry laid a hand on her cheek, muttering words under his breath. Looking deep into her eyes, he touched his forehead to her's…

_Or not…_ the girl thought with a small spark of annoyance.

----------------------------------------

"_Anyone sitting here?" a red-headed boy asked, pointing to the seat opposite her/him. "Everywhere else is full."_

_S/he shook Her/his head, and the boy sat down. He glanced at her/him, the quickly looked out the window, pretending he hadn't looked._

"_Hey, Ron."_

_The twins were back. The twins talked. The twins left. _

"_Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out._

_S/he nodded…_

----------------------------------------

"_Hmm," the small voice in his ear said. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of Courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes– and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting… So shall I put you?"_

"_Not Slytherin, not Slytherin."_

"_Not Slytherin, eh? Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all in your head. And Slytherin will help you on your way to greatness, no doubt about that– no? Well, if you're sure– better be GRYFFINDOR!_

----------------------------------------

"_Drink that," s/he said, pointing at the potion to get through the purple flames. "No, listen– get back and get Ron– grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy– go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbldore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him really."_

"_But Harry-" Hermione protested, "what if You-Know-Who's with him?"_

"_Well– I was lucky once, wasn't I?" s/he said, pointing to her/his scar. "I might get lucky again."_

_Hermione suddenly dashed forward and threw her arms around her/him, planting a kiss on her/his cheek._

"_**Hermione!**"_

"_Harry– you're a great wizard, you know…"_

----------------------------------------

Ebony blinked as she found she was back in the present. In front of her, the other Harry– no, _Harry_, period!– Harry was lying on the ground, eyes closed, muttering about brain drain.

For a long moment, neither spoke.

"What was the point of that?" she eventually asked, her voice not quite steady as she gave him a look that stated she didn't like people meddling with her mind..

Harry opened his eyes and looked at her, smiling slightly, but still looking a bit wiped out. "Those are memories we share. Memories that belong only to someone named Harry Potter. You. Me."

Tiredly, he pushed himself upright. "You are still Harry Potter inside, no matter what the outside looks like. Although maybe the name really doesn't matter at all. Let me rephrase. In those memories, you were you. Even after the 'great unveiling'," lip twitch, "you are still you. You just have a different physical form. Yet you deny yourself, denying your identity as if your identity were your form. They are completely different things, sister. The sooner you come to accept that, the sooner you'll be able to go on with your life."

Harry gave her a long look. "It doesn't matter who your parents were, Ebony. It doesn't matter who or what you look like, or what gender you are. It doesn't even matter what _name_ you answer to. All that's important is to remember you are your own person inside, and you always were, always have, and always will be your own person. Nothing can ever change that. After all, it's your soul…"

He sighed. He'd done all he could. Standing up, he looked around and casually waved his hand, wiping out all evidence of their presence. "Come one. It's about time we go back. They'll get worried."

Calling Cassidy via her Seal of Darkness, he left Ebony alone to think…

----------------------------------------

Long after bedtime had passed, Harry, in 'Deedee' form lay seated at the kitchen table, drinking from a cup of juice. He didn't think Ebony would appreciate his presence right then, and he wasn't about to impose it on her. Especially in the same room, much less the same bed!

Refilling his cup again, Harry idly traced a pattern on the table. A tickling in his senses made him straighten slightly, before relaxing and creating a second cup of juice. He pushed it a fair distance away from him, and waited.

The being he felt was coming down the stairs, his mental state that of tiredness, depression, and inertia, a person who was just letting his momentum keep carrying him forward. Harry hastily made his way out of the mind before he could pick up more than that. He did _not _want to have anything to do with it.

When the door opened, Harry didn't even look up. "Hey, Black," was all he said, before taking another drink from his cup.

At the door, Black paused a moment, a feeling of déjà vu coming over him as he recalled one of a thousand instances when he'd seen James in the same pose, if not exactly in the same kitchen. He'd never called him 'Black', though.

Cautiously, he walked towards the table. He'd wanted to get something alcoholic, but there was a cup already waiting for him and… before he knew it, he'd sat down at what he knew Harry considered a 'safe distance' and was drinking.

It was some kind of fruit juice, he realized, some kind of tropical fruit, and actually pretty good. He wondered what it was.

"Mango juice," Harry said, not looking up, not looking at him, just sitting there looking into his glass and drinking, deep in thought. So like James during the war, although James usually drank Firewhiskey or Butterbeer.

"Reading my mind?" Black said cautiously.

"Yes," was the only reply.

"Don't you consider that somewhat immoral?"

"Not really. No one tells me to get out, after all."

Five sentences that don't contain attacks against him. That was a new record for Black. Not knowing what else to say, and wondering why he wasn't getting death-glares yet– Harry was still looking into his glass intently, as if trying to find the meaning of life hidden in the bottom– he just kept drinking from his own glass.

Harry drained his glass, looking into it disappointedly, as if he _had_ been expecting to find the meaning of life at the bottom. Sighing, he put it down and made a vague gesture with his hand. The glass refilled to the brim with a yellow juice. He swirled it around a little, careful to keep it from sopping, but otherwise made no move to drink. Finally, he sighed again. "I'm sorry," he said suddenly, still staring into his cup.

Black's eyebrows rose. "Um, pardon?"

"I'm sorry for being rude to you," Harry said, not looking at him. "Like now. Sorry, but if I look at you, I'm liable to say something Ebony will hurt me for." A faint smile came to his lips at that, wistful and amused at the same time. "I'm sorry for being rude. You're _not_ the Sirius Black from my world. You're _not_ the one out to kill me. If they're trusting you, then it must mean they have a reason to trust you. I'm sorry for not. It _is_ your house, after all."

Black blinked several times, then stared suspiciously at his drink.

"You're not hearing things," Harry said, a small amused smile playing on his lips. "And it's not spiked. I _am_ apologizing for some of my behavior."

"Some?"

Harry's face immediately went blank. "I am not taking back anything I said about, or regarding Ebony. Let's not go there, shall we?"

Black opened his mouth, took a moment to think, and changed what he was going to say. "Fair enough," he said.

Harry nodded neutrally. "So tell me," he said, "what was your James Potter like?"

They talked for a good three hours…

----------------------------------------

Ebony woke up to an empty bed. Cassidy was curled up on the pillow of Harry's cot, sleeping quietly. Since she didn't have a respiratory system, she didn't snore, for which Ebony was very grateful for. Getting to sleep last night had been hard enough _without_ unwanted noise. She wondered where Harry had stayed all night. His cot was in the same state it was the night before, and he wasn't on the floor…

Pushing thoughts of the boy away from her mind, she got up and quietly got dressed quietly, not wanting to disturb Cassidy, who was muttering something about barbecue. Smiling slightly, Ebony opened the door. Stepping out into the hallway, she paused, raising an eyebrow. Well, now she knew where he'd been all night.

Harry, or Deedee as the case may be, was curled up against the wall opposite her door, sleeping like a baby. At least, she was. The moment Ebony closed her door, her eyes snapped open, locking on to the source of the sound. "Morning, 'Bonnie," she said, then yawned quite loudly. "'Scuse me."

Pushing of from the floor, Deedee stretched, pops clearly audible as she did so. Getting to her feet, Deedee made her top hat appear with a flick of her wrist, snapping it on her head with practiced ease.

"Why'd you sleep out here?" Ebony asked as they started walking towards the kitchen.

A wan smile. "I didn't want to disturb you in there. Besides, I didn't think it'd be a good idea for you to find me on your bed after yesterday. I figured you'd want to be alone. I know I would."

Ebony's stride faltered for a moment, but she quickly caught up to Deedee, who either didn't notice, or was pretending not to notice. "Is that a hint?" she said.

Deedee looked at her, raising an eyebrow, then turned away, a small smile on her lips. "Take it as you want. Words only have power over you if you let them."

"You're starting to sound like Dumbledore, you know that?"

Snicker. "I can't decide whether that's a good thing or a bad thing."

A weak smile crawled over Ebony's face, and a chuckle made it out of her mouth.

The two walked on in silence for a few feet.

"Where were you last night?"

"Lonely?" was the teasing reply.

Ebony glared, but it just bounced off Deedee's smirk. "Well, if you must know, I was drinking with Black."

Ebony raised an eyebrow. "You were?"

"I'm pretty surprised myself. I must have been pretty sleepy to be nice to him."

"Hmm…"

In the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley was already busy making breakfast. Deedee immediately bustled over to help, conjuring stuff out of thin air whenever the Weasley Matriarch needed it, while Ebony set plates and other necessities on the table, a thoughtful look on her face as she mulled over things, just as she'd been since last night.

The _real_ Harry had been dead for years, a sacrificial lamb to appease the Ministry and the masses. She glanced at the other Harry, working next to Mrs.Weasley, wondering whether her older brother would have been like Harry, if he had been given the chance to grow up. But hadn't Harry always said _they _were the same person? Setting a knife beside one of the plates, she thought about one day reclaiming her life and setting things back to the way they used to be. Was it really still her's to take, though? Did she want it back? Even though she had changed both outside _and_ inside?

Irritably, she shook her head. _Why_ was she antagonizing over this? It wasn't like it really matter… did it? What difference did it make if she was Harry or not?

She glared at the boy-disguised-as-a-girl, who was currently pulling fresh-squeezed orange juice out of thin air. It was all _her– _his? ARGH!– fault for bringing it up…

----------------------------------------

There was absolutely no mention of anything regarding what they had talked about on the day of the duel for the next couple of days. No 'altercations' with Sirius, either. In fact, the house was so peaceful– unless you counted the 'house cleaning', which tended to get very dangerous; the adults had Harry use his Dark Keeper magic on the _really_ lethal things– you'd almost forget there was a war on. A secret, underground, subversive war, to be sure, but a war nonetheless…

Ever since Cassidy had taken Tonks off to see a movie, Order meetings took an unusual turn. After she'd waxed enough poetic on King Kong to make a Deedee Harry-rant proud, other Order members had gone to see what the fuss was about. Soon, it had become a popular recreation activity with the group, a way to relax after all their hard work for the day. It had gotten better when they'd mentioned it to Harry, who conjured up a DVD player for the wizards and taught them how to use it. They began setting it up at the end of Order meetings. Now, they didn't have to pretend to be Muggles to enjoy a good show. Since the Wizards really didn't know what was out there, Harry made recommendations for them initially. As a result, the Order was treated to such films as **_Galaxy Quest _**(Snape got a lot of flack over this one; people kept asking if the 'alien' was his twin brother!), **_Robin Hood: Men In Tights_**, the **_Naruto_ **movies, as well as a **_Galaxy Angels_** marathon.

The non-Muggle informed were amused at all the different concepts of wizards Muggles had conceived, and found **_Negima!_** to be very entertaining

Of course, such peace and tranquility never lasts when a person by the name of Harry Potter is around (other names that destroy peace are Saotome Ranma, Masaki Tenchi, Uzumaki Naruto, Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker, among others…)…

----------------------------------------

Harry cheerily moved the object he was destroying– a statue of the grim reaper who had a nasty habit of using his scythe– towards the center of the room, with a flick of his wand. His wand since he wanted to keep in practice with the _other_ magic he practiced. He didn't to want to flunk Hogwarts, after all.

Satisfied it was centered, he motioned for his companions– Lupin, Tonks and Cassidy– to step back. Not that it was really necessary: they knew by now what kind of over-the-top magic he liked to dish out. They very clearly remembered the time he used Death Reborn Revolution. _That_ had been scary!

Harry raised his hand over his head and closed his eyes. He didn't really _need_ to use words or anything, since the Dark Heart's magic is all shaped by his will and imagination. No, he was closing his eyes because he wanted to get the words to the spell he was copying right. Accuracy was _very _important to the anime fanatic.

After digging around his mind, Harry nodded to himself, finally getting the words right– he hoped. True, he'd used them before, but that was a couple of days ago, and he really didn't have that spell as committed to memory as, say, the Naruto hand-seals and _jutsus_. It's to be expected he would need a couple of seconds to recall it.

"Sword of Darkness, freezing nothingness, free thyself from Heaven's bonds," Harry intoned, and dark energy began to swirl and congeal above his hand. "Become one with my body, one with my power, and together, let us walk the path of destruction. RAGNA BLADE!"

Cue the shifting black sword of pure magic in Harry's hands.

Holding it in both hands, he grinned insanely. He always did just before he went nuts with whatever he was ripping of from anime, manga, book or RPG. "RENZOKUKEN! LION HEART!"

"He sure likes overkill, doesn't he?" Tonks commented as Harry went to town on the statue, which didn't have a chance.

After the statue had been rendered into itty-bitty little pieces, Harry let the blade dissolve, dusting off his hands and waving the pieces away into non-existence. "Man, I love doing that!" Harry said cheerily as he entwined his fingers behind his head.

There was a knock on the door, just before it opened and Ebony entered. Harry's eye noted she wasn't as hesitant as she used to be, but made no comment, keeping his face neutral. "Hey, 'Bonnie," he said casually. That was the extent of their interaction for the past few days now. Casual. Casual greetings, casual contact, you know, casual. Harry stopped sleeping in Ebony's room, instead making himself at home curled up outside her door.

Ebony nodded to him. "Harry," she said, just as casually. The adults didn't notice anything. This was strictly between them. Cassidy knew something was going on– pretty obvious when two people stop sleeping in the same bed, even if they're not _that_ way with each other– but she didn't say a word, respecting their mutual privacy. "I came to get you… and I sort of want to talk to you about something."

"Lead the way, gorgeous," he said, a bright smile on his face.

Not so long ago, Ebony might have shifted uncomfortably at the words, or even blushed. Now, she just rolled her eyes and gave him a look that was somewhere between withering and amused. Turning, she went back out of the room, Harry trailing behind her.

"So, watcha wanna talk about?" Harry asked as he shifted back into his Deedee form, in case one of the Weasley kids or Hermione felt like they needed a midnight snack.

Ebony was silent for a while, which was just fine with Deedee, who idly hummed some anime tune or other to keep things from being _really_ silent. Finally, Ebony said, "Why do you act the way you do around me?"

"Pardon?" Deedee said.

"From the start, you've accepted me, even after Black told you all about what I am," Ebony said. "Why?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Just answer the question," Ebony snapped back. Deedee's eyebrow twitched, very tempted to be amused at the reaction. Maybe later…

Deedee sighed. "First of all, you're not a 'what', you're a 'who'. Secondly, none of the things Black told me mattered one bit. None."

"But why?" Ebony pressed.

Deedee sighed. "Where do I begin?" she said as she stroked her chin in thought. "Well, I guess the simplest reason I can give is that the two of us are the same."

"The same?" Ebony repeated, doubtful of what he meant. Did he mean what he'd said about _her_ being Harry too?

"I guess I should backtrack," Deedee said, sighing again as she thrust her hands into her pockets and bowed her head. In the blink of an eye, the normally diabetically-cheery boy-disguised-as-girl became depressed enough to nearly merit having waves of gloom emanate from her. "Let me explain something about the Keepers of the Dark Heart: we are hated and feared. Every Dark Keeper has had to live under the shadow of a hate they did nothing to earn."

Another sigh. "And usually, it was all because we possessed something called the Dark Heart. Just that. All because of a name, we were branded and declared anathema. Not that there haven't been some people who've lived up to it… the illusion of evil was around before the truth."

Deedee raised her head, looking Ebony in the eye, and she felt like she was going to drown. There was a darkness there that had no right to be in anyone so young. They were like black holes, drawing her in deeper and deeper…

Deedee spoke, breaking the illusion. "We are alike. As I– my kind, my fellow Dark Keepers– am called tainted without due cause, merely because we bore the charge of the so-called Dark Heart– forget that it was only a relatively microscopic minority that went rogue and lived up to the reputation– so are you, just because half of your DNA belongs to a self-proclaimed Dark Lord. As if that makes any difference," Deedee finished bitterly, a bitterness Ebony realized she knew all too well. It was the same bitterness she felt when she learned who her father was, the same bitterness, she suddenly realized, she had used to feel when she was still Harry, whenever she'd been recognized for something she didn't do, didn't remember, had lost her parents– well, her mother, anyway– for.

Deedee was watching her, a twisted smile on her lips. "As you see," she said, sounding strange, "we are more alike that we first seem. How can I not accept you, when I know what kind of hell your past was, your present is, and your future is likely to be?"

Then Deedee blinked and scowled. "Was I just being angsty?" she said rhetorically, shuddering. "UGH! I **hate** angst!"

She gave Ebony a sideways glance. "Anyway, now you know. What brought _that_ on, anyway?"

"You," Ebony said, shaking off the effects of the weird vision and sounding slightly grumpy. That knowing smile was getting annoying. "You got me thinking."

"Not exactly our strong suit, is it?" Deedee said wryly. Ebony glared at her, but said nothing, registering the bard _was_ meant for both of them. "So what else have you got?"

They came to Ebony's door and both paused. Wordlessly, Ebony went in and shut the door.

Deedee stared at the wooden portal, then shrugged and got ready to sleep on the floor again…

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"Woah!" Harry said as he suddenly straightened, his back stiff as a board and staring straight ahead at nothing.

Mrs. Weasely, Lupin, Tonks, Cassidy and Ebony all looked at him curiously. "Hey, you alright Harry?"

It was extremely early in the morning, and the Weasley children (and Hermione) were still asleep. Harry was taking advantage of that fact to lounge around in his guy form for the time being, relaxing in the body he was used to. Breakfast was being prepared, with everyone helping out. Yes, even Tonks. Lupin and Cassidy were keeping an eye out to keep her from messing up _too_ much (something happening was a given). Harry had been mildly amused to notice that Lupin was a bit closer to Tonks than strictly necessary.

Instead of answering, Harry shifted, growing taller and shooting past Ebony's height. His eyes became veiled in darkness as he moved towards a dark corner of the kitchen, materializing the Dark Heart as he moved. Holding the Heart in his hand, he kept his back turned away as a black mist began to emanate from the Dark Heart, forming a sort of cloud in front of his face. "Morpheus here," he said. "What is it, Caleb?"

Cassidy perked up slightly. "Caleb?" she repeated.

"Who's Caleb?" Tonks asked as Harry/Deedee/Morpheus took the call in his little corner.

"He's this guy Harry gave a Dark Seal to," Cassidy explained. "Basically, he's Harry's 'agent'. He tells Harry if Kandrakar has any jobs for him he might be willing to do. At least, that's how _he_ explained it to me."

"Dark Seal?" Lupin said, wondering if it was anything like the Dark Mark.

In response, Cassidy held up her forearm, closing her wooden eyelids in concentration. A white seal outlined in black appeared. "The Dark Seal. Harry says it's the symbol of the Dark Keepers. Mine functions as a communication device. So far, only myself, that Caleb guy, and Raven have a Dark Seal, so there really isn't a lot of choice if you want to chat."

"Who's Raven?" Ebony asked.

Cassidy smiled sardonically. "Another version of Harry. Poor guy has a _lot_ of problems."

"Be nice," Harry said, catching the tail of the conversation as he came back to the table, the Dark Heart disappearing back into his chest as he shifted back to his younger form, then his Deedee form. "Start saying your good byes, Cass. We're leaving."

The five stared at him. "You are?" Lupin said in surprise.

Deedee nodded. "Apparently, Kandrakar is cashing in on our deal. They want me to do something or other. I don't have the details yet, but we have to go there."

"Well, you should at least stay another day so we can tell everyone and give you a proper send off," Mrs. Weasley said.

"I plan to," Deedee said. "I have Ebony's cover to maintain, after all. What kind of best friend would Deedee be if she didn't try to stick around Cassandra?"

"You don't have to-" Ebony began, a bit annoyed at the way she said it, making it sound like a burden.

"No, but I want to," Deedee interrupted. "What kind of a friend would _I_ be if I didn't help my friend keep her story together?"

"We have to tell Dumbledore," Lupin said. "He should know, at least."

Deedee nodded. "I'll cook up the reason. I'm sure something about my 'mother' wanting me back home to help her with something or other will slip through. That'll do for the kids."

They plotted as they got breakfast made, and were able to arrange nearly everything by the time the kids came down to eat. The announcement that Deedee would be leaving was met with a mix of disappointment and relief. Relief because it would bring the end to the Harry rants. Days had gone by, and Deedee _still_ hadn't repeated herself!

Later, Deedee excused herself so she could 'pack'. The others, knowing she was very touchy about anyone coming into physical contact with her Harry posters, did not volunteer their services, nor did they stop her when she started physically dragging Ebony along with her, saying something about cramming in as much quality time as possible…

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"Was dragging me really necessary?" Ebony said as she rotated her shoulder. MAN, was Deedee strong!

Deedee just flashed a smile at her. "Probably not, but it was fun!" she said, giggling.

Ebony rolled her eyes. The thought passed through her head that a lot of the time, Deedee was more girly than _she_ was. _She'd_ never giggled…

Sigh. "Why'd you drag me here, anyway?" she said, crossing her arms.

"Appearances," Deedee stated simply. "It's the kind of thing Deedee would do."

"Makes me wonder how 'Cassandra' stayed so sane," Ebony muttered just loud enough to be heard, shooting glances at her companion.

Deedee just smiled sweetly, not deigning to respond. Instead, she said, "Well, it's been nice seeing a little of the future. At least I know Hermione is going to turn out hot. I'll be waiting for that."

Ebony blinked, stopping in her tracks at those words. "You have a thing for Hermione?" she exclaimed.

Deedee smirked, winking at her. "Girl, I have the collected memories of more than a thousand lifetimes of Dark Keepers, all men, who are gifted with insane endurance and physical ability. Let's just say that having an innate knowledge of techniques that the writers of the Kama Sutra were too embarrassed to write down does a lot for one's interest in the opposite sex."

Ebony shuddered, going red at the thought. Deedee just laughed at her discomfiture. "But, no, I have no interest in Hermione except a friend, although I _am_ admitting I wouldn't mind if she looks hot."

"So who _do_ you have an interest in?" Ebony asked, trying to steer things away from the thought of Hermione being hot. As her friend, the thought was… disturbing.

Another smirk, crossed with a grin. "Wouldn't _you_ like to know."

"So there _is_ someone?" Ebony pressed.

"Not _telling_," Deedee sang.

Coming to Ebony's room, the heterochromic was promptly reminded of certain things. She paused at the door, unsure suddenly of what to do, but Deedee just breezed her way in. After a moment, Ebony followed. Hey, it was _her_ room, right?

Looking at all the Harry pictures, she wasn't so sure.

Deedee, however, was systematically tearing them off the walls and just tossing them into the empty space in the middle of the room.

"Um, won't the others be curious as to _why_ Deedee is defacing images of her god?" Ebony said as she watched the top hat-wearing girl just pull them off the wall however it was convenient, leaving torn bits of it on the paneling.

Deedee paused, then sighed. "I guess I'll just have to reconstruct them when I'm done," she said, and went back to tearing things off. "Wanna help?"

In response, Ebony pulled out her wand. "_Accio!_" she said, and the posters suddenly came tearing off the walls. She'd gotten _good_ at summoning spells.

Deedee winced. "Hmm, didn't think of that. I really have to keep reminding myself there are three ways to do things."

"Three ways?" Ebony asked as she put her wand away.

Deedee nodded. "Wand magic, Dark Keeper magic and good, old fashioned elbow grease," she said, ticking them off her fingers.

"It must be pretty easy for you, then."

Deedee gave her a look, one adults usually gave children when they said something adults knew better about. "It's not as good as you think it is. More ways to do something means more options. More options gets confusing. I thank my lucky stars I'm decisive in a fight, or else I'd be… well, not dead, but seriously maimed and burned by now, immortality and insane regeneration not withstanding."

Ebony winced. "Ouch. Nasty thought."

The two knew perfectly well there was an elephant– so to speak– standing in the middle of the room. They also knew this has been the longest in a while they'd been alone, as well as the longest they'd talked without other people being around– or _with _other people around. Both were dancing around the issue.

"Well, I'm done dancing around the issue. You?" Deedee said.

As has been noted before, Deedee can be very blunt.

Ebony glared at her. "And we were getting along so well…" she said, trying to delay some more.

Deedee sat down on the bed, patting the space next to her. "Nice try, sis', but we need to talk about it _some_ time."

Ebony paused as she was about to step towards the proffered spot. She hadn't called her 'sis' since…

Warily, she sat down on the bed, a bit farther away than had been indicated, but that was _her_ choice. It was _her_ bed, after all!

Deedee gave her a sideways look, amused. "I don't bite, 'Bonnie," she said. "So, have you come to any conclusions?"

At her look, Deedee smiled. "Oh, come on. I know how your mind must work. Although, now that we don't have Snape to blame, tracking the result is a little difficult, but I _know_ you're smart enough– and intellectual enough– to give this thing a lot of thought."

Smart? Intellectual? _Her?_

"That was either the plain truth and a fair assessment, or self-aggrandizement, take your pick," Deedee said, bringing up a knee to her chest and wrapping her arms around it.

"Look who's delaying _now_," Ebony muttered.

Deedee grinned. "See? You _are_ smart!"

Ebony just rolled her eyes and sighed.

"So?" Deedee prompted.

What was this called? Biting the bullet? Taking the leap? Facing the hangman? Ugh, **why do all those sayings relate to an _execution_?**

"Why indeed…" Deedee said softly. Ebony glared at her, bringing all her limited abilities in Occlumency to bear. "What? You were yelling it in your head! Of _course_ I heard!"

"It is still highly intruding. Those are _your _powers and _you _have to keep them in check!" Ebony kept glaring at her, but it was a futile effort. Glares and such had _very_ little effect on Deedee. Sticks and stones didn't do much, either. Their duel had proven that. Also lightning bolts, fire dragons, swirling spheres of ice-elemental energy, etc…

Deedee raised an eyebrow at her. "May I remind you of a certain incident involving blowing up a certain aunt?"

Ebony's look said she didn't consider it quite in the same league. Deedee just chuckled.

"Well…?" she pressed.

Pick a saying and put it here.

"I don't know…" Ebony admitted. "It's all so confusing. A part of me wants to agree. Another part…"

Deedee reached over and patted her on the back. "Hey, it's a start. You don't have to make my word for anything. It's all up to you…"

At that, Ebony's face twisted. She sighed. "I think I get what you meant about options…"

Deedee nodded in understanding, still patting her on the back. "Still, it's your choice. Only yours. If you let other people make your decisions for you– especially _this_ decision– you're living for _them_, not for yourself. Do you really want Black to be telling you who you are?"

"What about you?" she said.

Deedee raised an eyebrow at her. "Me? I'm just outlining your options… okay, and maybe trying to push you a little, but it's still all up to you."

Deedee stood up, waving at the shredded mess of posters on the floor. The little bits still sticking to the walls flew towards the bundle, all of it swirling together. By the time she reached the door, the posters were once more in pristine condition, all rolled up and bundled in manageable, travel-friendly rolls, standing on top of a couple small trunks that had just appeared out of nowhere. "I'll see you at lunch sis," she said, closing the door behind her and leaving Ebony to her choices.

Ebony's gaze fell on one of the rolled up posters. Moving green eyes stared back at her…

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That morning, they didn't have to do any cleaning as Mrs. Weasley insisted on preparing for a going away party for Deedee that night. As a result, they were all sent to their rooms so they'd be out of the way. Deedee spent most of her time pestering the girls to send her pictures of Harry, as well as getting Ron to drop hints to him as to her existence, as well as the fact she was very 'willing'.

Ron, for his part, was muttering why all girls seemed to like Harry. Which promptly ended with him getting whacked one by Hermione and Ginny, the former protesting she'd never had the hots for Harry, the latter, well… it was Ginny, so there!

Eventually, Ebony joined them, making some excuse about double-checking on Deedee's packing, since the girl tended to forget things. This led to a full half-hour of Deedee cooing over her 'Cassandra-chan' and how thoughtful and sweet and kind she was, among other adjectives.

Not for the first, everyone– including Ebony/Cassandra– wondered if Deedee was all there. _Especially _Ebony/Cassandra…

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He was leaving, she realized as she watched 'Deedee' make merry at the party that night. Some Order members had dropped in as well to say their good byes to the girl– _boy_, she corrected herself. Even Dumbledore was there.

Above the heavily laden table was a large banner with the words Good Bye Deedee –– come again soon! Everyone was milling around, generally having a good time. The twins kept pseudo-hitting on Deedee, who pseudo-flirted back with an amused air, all airy smiles and girlish giggles. Ebony didn't know if she should be disturbed every time Deedee did that. _She_ didn't giggle!

Dumbledore raised his goblet, drawing everyone's attention. "A toast," he said. "To miss Deedee Vandom, for helping brighten our lives in these dark hours!"

"Hear, hear!" the twins chorused, chugging their drinks simultaneously, while Deedee laughed and bowed in acknowledgement.

"You sure you have to go?" Ron asked hopefully as everyone finished drinking to the toast. "I mean, it's nice having you around. I'm sure your mother would understand."

Deedee shook her head, then had to rearrange her top hat back on. "Sorry, Ron, but when mom calls, I have to obey," she said, then grinned. "Besides, I need to get back to my import stores. I bet they have _tons_ of news stuff for me to buy!"

"You and your anime," Ebony said, shaking her head. After playing the part so long, she knew her lines.

"Hey, it's not just anime. It's manga too!" Deedee protested, to which Ebony responded by shaking her head, an indulgent smile on her lips. Deedee turned to Ron. "Cheer up! We'll see each other again!"

Ron blinked. "We will?" he said, sounding more hopeful.

"Sure!" Deedee said. "I'll be marrying Harry, after all, and who else would be his best man at our wedding?"

Ron's face fell, although he tried to cover it. Ebony and any Order member in hearing range, however, tried not to laugh out loud, some choking on their drinks.

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Deedee was still laughing at the look on Ron's face when it was finally time to go to bed.

"You really shouldn't have teased him like that," Ebony said, chuckling herself as she combed her hair.

"I know, but it was so _easy_…" Deedee said, degenerating into giggles once more.

Cassidy caught Ebony's eye, and the former made a circling gesture next to her head, rolling her eyes. Ebony found herself smirking in agreement. Yes, even Cassidy sometimes wondered if her traveling companion was all there.

Finishing with her Occlumency exercise, Ebony moved towards her, bed, where Deedee was sitting. The latter moved out of the way, noticeably heading towards the door.

Ebony hesitated only a tick before she said, "Hey where are you going?"

Deedee paused, one hand on the knob. She turned, looking at the girl questioningly. "Huh?"

Ebony smiled. "You sleep in _this_ room, remember?" she said teasingly, patting her bed.

Deedee blinked, a soft smiled suddenly coming over her features. "Oh, yeah, right…" she said, as if just remembering herself. Turning nonchalantly, for all the world as if it wasn't a big deal, Deedee calmly got into bed.

"You know, it was for things like this they put me in this room," Cassidy said, but she was smiling as she said it, jumping into the space between the two and snuggling against Deedee.

Ebony sighed. "You're really going, aren't you?" she said. It wasn't really a question.

"Yeah," Deedee said, getting herself comfortable on the bed again. "I have to go back. I made commitments, responsibilities."

Ebony looked into her eyes. "Will I ever see you again?"

Deedee paused, as if thinking, before breaking out into a sweet smile. "Of course. You're my friend, after all. I always visit my friends."

Ebony smiled. "That's good to know," she said, finally lying back when it looked like Deedee was comfortable.

"G'night Cass. G'night, sis," Deedee said easily as she rested her head on it's customary position half-way between the pillow and the crook of Ebony's neck and shoulder, wrapping one hand around Ebony's waist for reassurance.

Ebony hesitated a tick. Only a tick. "Good night, little brother," she said just as easily, before kissing the girl on the forehead. In those two words and one little gesture, her choice was made. And it was _her_ choice. Granted, she'd been pushed along, but if she let herself be, that was _her_ choice too.

Deedee stiffened and looked at her, an unreadable expression on her face. Ebony wondered if she'd messed up, but Deedee suddenly broke into a wide smile, kissing her on the cheek, before snuggling closer.

On that happy note, Ebony fell asleep, drifting off to the strains made by Deedee's music box…

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Deedee, however, did _not_ fall asleep. At least, not right away. Instead, she lay there, staring up at her… sister? Bedmate? Ugh, disturbing thought– sister as she slept.

She was leaving. She was leaving, and letting this girl, her self-claimed sister, face Voldemort all alone.

Had it been anybody else, she would have considered it suicide, or worse, murder. But this wasn't just anybody. This was _her_. Ebony. In her own mind, really messed up by having thousands of generations of memories crammed into it, she believed that if there was anyone in the universe who could survive Voldemort without the Dark Heart supporting them, it was her, this strange girl who was paradoxically both her sister and her self. Alternate version of self, anyway.

Deedee closed her eyes, feeling the Dark Heart in it's place inside of her, beating in time with her own heart. Such power…

Deedee snapped open her eyes, grinning slightly. Who said she wouldn't be supported by the Dark Heart?

Summoning the Dark Heart into being, Deedee closed her eyes, feeling the power rushing through her as she combined the Heart's power with her own. Gently, she touched Ebony with it, slowly enfolding her. The Dark Heart's power removed blocks, changed pathways, shifted power within, altered the distribution. When she was done, she drew every drop of the Heart's power back into herself, pleased with her handiwork. A little going away surprise for Ebony. Should she try anything with her magic, she'd find it slightly… different.

Closing her eyes again, Deedee drifted of to sleep, dreaming of a workshop, a piece of metal, and a band of cloth…

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Ebony woke up as she felt more than heard someone moving around her room. Rubbing her eyes, she reached under her pillow and pulled out her wand. "_Lumos_," she muttered.

A light went on at the tip of her wand, casting its glow on a fully dressed Harry. And it _was_ Harry, not Deedee as she'd gotten used to. Startled green eyes looked at her in surprise before softening into a smile. "Go back to sleep," he said gently.

She, however, glared at him. "You were going to leave without telling me," she said accusingly.

Harry shrugged. "I'm lousy at good byes," he said, by way of explanation.

Ebony rolled her eyes, smirking. "Well, you won't get any better if you don't get any practice," she said, throwing off her blankets and darting towards her closet. Grabbing the first thing she saw that looked appropriate, she hastily began putting it on. "Don't leave and don't look!" she said as she quickly got dressed.

"Yes, sister," she heard Harry say, and she fought the urge to roll her eyes at his tone.

A quick check to see if everything was in order– it was– she turned towards Harry, who was peering intently at the grain of the door's wood. "Okay, you can turn around now," she said. He did, looking at her in bemusement.

"You know, you've got 'feminine overdressing' down," Harry joked as he looked at Ebony in the dress robes.

She rapped her knuckles on his head. "It was on hand," she growled.

Grinning ruefully and rubbing the offended spot, he shrugged. "Well, since I've woken _you_ up, I might as well greet the bunch down in the kitchen."

Ebony raised her eyebrows, wondering how he knew anyone was in the kitchen at all, but pegged it down to that Dark Heart of his. She followed him as he went out, carrying a still sleeping Cassidy in his arms.

There _were_ people in the kitchen. Dumbledore, Mrs. Weasley, Lupin, Tonks, Mad-Eye, Snape, and Black were there sitting around the table, talking with the air of people who were just killing time. They all looked up when they came in. Cassidy was just starting to rouse. Harry dropped her on the floor to speed things up.

"HEY!" Cassidy yelled, rubbing her head, even though it didn't really hurt. It was the principle of the thing. "WATCH IT, POTTER!"

Harry just grinned widely at her, while Ebony turned away to hide her smile.

"Professor," Harry said, nodding to the aged Headmaster.

He nodded back. "Harry," he said. "You are leaving?"

"Duty calls," he said, shrugging.

"Then I wish you well."

Mrs. Weasley sobbed, and Harry sighed internally, bracing himself for the bone crushing hug that followed. He hugged her back. "I'll come back some time. I promise."

Mrs. Weasley just nodded. Wiping tears, away, she stepped back. Dumbledore patted her on the shoulder.

Lupin steeped forward and they shook hands. Harry suddenly had a cheeky grin. "Say, Professor, I couldn't happen to convince you to give me the answers to the year's exams, can I?"

Ebony raised an eyebrow. "What happened to not learning things about the future?" she said mockingly.

"Spoilsport," Harry said easily.

Lupin chuckled, rubbing his eyes. Not that he was crying, mind you. No, he was too manly for that. Nope, it was just a little dust, is all. "Take care of yourself, Harry. Watch out for Dementors."

"I will," Harry grinned.

Laughing, Tonks gave him a hug, kissing him on the cheek. Instead of blushing, as might be expected, Harry pouted cutely. "That's it? Don't I at least get a proper send off?"

Rolling her eyes, Tonks kissed him on the other cheek. "Sorry, Harry, but that's all _your_ getting."

Harry raised an eyebrow in mock wonder. "What? Someone impervious to the Potter charm? It's the end of the world as I know it!" Harry said dramatically, eliciting a laugh from Tonks and two more kisses. "Well, I suppose we can't win 'em all. Take care of this one, Professor Lupin," Harry said, winking at the werewolf in conspirational fashion. Said werewolf and a nearby Metamorphmagus blushed.

Mad-Eye nodded gruffly to Harry, which he returned in kind. There was no need for more.

A hand was not quite stiffly extended to Black. "Sirius," Harry said neutrally.

Black shook it. "Harry," he said, trying to sound just as neutral and almost– _almost_– succeeding. People boggled.

Snape, standing in a shadowy corner of the room, was surprised when he was approached.

"Snape," Harry said, nodding towards him. Snape glared. He'd gotten better at it, but not nearly as close to his old caliber.

"_Professor_ Snape, Harry," Ebony corrected cheekily.

Harry gave her an 'I'm trying not to be amused' look before turning back to the potions master. "Professor Snape. Take care of Ebony for me, will you?"

Snape hesitated, before giving a curt nod. It was the best he could do. There were _people_ watching, after all!

Nodding, satisfied, Harry turned to Ebony. Cassidy wrapped up her goodbyes to Tonks, who was still a bit red.

"Well, I guess this is it," he said.

Ebony nodded, suddenly finding that her eyes stung. "Take care of yourself, little brother," she said. Damned stinging!

"I will, sis'," he said, clapping her on the shoulder. Impulsively, the two hugged, to more boggling from their audience. They ignored them.

Harry pulled away, reaching into his pocket. "Here. I made this for you last night. A little something to remember me by."

Ebony doubted she'd ever forget. Nonetheless, she was touched by the gesture. "Th-thanks," she said, taking it into her hands.

It was a piece of black cloth, obviously a rolled up square piece. In the center, a strip of metal was bolted on. Carved on to the metal was a simple depiction of a lightning bolt. Unconsciously, her eyes flicked to Harry's forehead, her hand rising to her own.

"It's a _hitae-ate_," Harry explained, taking it from her hands and tying it on her head. "There! Now you have a lightning bolt on your head again too!" _If you tap it with your wand, it becomes invisible, so that only you can see it. That way, you can wear it without having a big sign pointed at you,_ he added telepathically.

The stinging got worse. "I love it. Thanks." A hesitant pause. "_Will _we ever see you again?" she repeated.

Smiling, Harry took her right hand and pressed it against his own. A comforting chill pressed against her palm, a chill she'd come to associate to whenever Harry did his magic with the Dark Heart. It pressed there for a second, concentrating on the center of her hand, before Harry took his hand away.

She looked at her palm. There, as if painted on, was a white mark that was the mirror image of the one Cassidy had shown them yesterday.

"The Seal of Darkness," Harry murmured. "If you ever need to talk to me, just breathe on it," demonstrating, he made a fist, brought it up to his mouth, and blew into the hole made by his forefinger and thumb, "wish, and I'll hear you. If you need me, all you have to do is call. I'll answer."

Not knowing what to say, Ebony gave a trembling smile, hugging her little brother close again.

Sighing, Harry pulled back again, gesturing for Cassidy that it was time. The diminutive wooden ex-Guardian stopped teasing Tonks and jumped into Harry's arms, and from there onto his back. "Well, we got to go. We keep this up, and the two of us will _never_ get anywhere," he laughed. Summoning the Dark Heart into existence, he held it in his hand. "Be seeing you, sis'. Take care of yourself, alright? And remember, you're one of us. Show the world what we Harry Potters are made of!"

Laughing, Ebony gave him a thumbs-up. "You've got it!"

Grinning, Harry kissed her on the cheek. Laughing, Ebony got him in a headlock in retaliation and managed to kiss him on the forehead before he squirmed away. "Well, we'll be going now," Harry said, charging up the Dark Heart, taking his time with it.

"Take care!" Ebony repeated as a cold aura began to envelope the two travelers. Everyone stepped back. "Do your homework!"

"Yes, sister," Harry responded. This time, Ebony _did_ roll her eyes at the tone.

"Don't mess around with Dementors, you hear? Or Boggarts, for that matter!" Black mist began to from around them, starting around Harry's feet and slowly rising up.

"Yes, sister!" Tinges of amusement, like notes from windchimes.

"And stay away from evil, insane, Heir-of-Slytherin Dark Lords until you've graduated!" The mist rose higher, beginning to cover the two.

"_Yes_, sister!" Tones of laughter now, music in the air.

"And always call the Potions Master 'Professor'!" the mist covered them completely.

"THAT'S PUSHING IT, SIS'!"

In a final burst of cold, they were gone…

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Back at her room, Ebony stared at herself in the mirror. It was just after dawn. She couldn't believe she'd still managed to fall asleep after all that. But she must have. And she did.

One hand rose towards the plate of metal on her forehead. Traced the lightning bolt mark on it. Her lips twitched. It was a declaration, she decided. A declaration of identity. She sighed.

But a secret declaration. No one must know… well, no one other than those who already did. If Voldemort found out…

She smiled grimly. If he did… well, it would be very painful to anyone present.

Taking out her wand, she tapped the plate. The bandana seemed to ripple, before becoming misty looking, much the same way Cassidy had when she had been under the selective invisibility spell. Perfect.

Look out world, Harry Potter and Ebony Riddle have merged. Cassandra Prewett was born!

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The Oracle, the Guardians, and the Council members all turned as a black mist appeared in one corner of the enormous chamber, resolving into the black-clad form of Morpheus, eyes as black shrouded as always.

"Alright!" he said, crossing his arms, a genial smile on his lips. "What do you need me for…?"

The Oracle was about to answer when a doll's wooden head that had popped up behind the Dark Keeper's right shoulder made him pause.

Yan Lin stared. "CASSIDY?"

'Cassidy' smiled, waving. "Hey, Yan! It's been a while!"

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– **To be continued…**

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A/N: I give a long and heartfelt goodbye to Ebony, and hope to see more of her adventures some day. May she someday kill her bastard of a father! –_hint, hint, hint_–

And no, there _is_ no one. At this point, a love interest is a complication I'll do without. Sorry for those disappointed. Maybe in the distant future…

–_hears the disappointed moaning of the undead fangirls that were somehow born during last chap's writing, pulls out a machine gun, and peppers them with explosive silver bullets_–

Please review, C&C welcome. Send them over to **JuMiKu** too, so she'll continue on with 'Ebony'.

Until next time, this is Shadow, signing off.


	12. A Mission For Kandrakar

A/N: It has recently reached me that Cassidy might have been the Guardian of Water instead of the Guardian of Fire, but this is my story, so she'll be Fire. Just in case anyone wants to nitpick…

Now begins a ridiculously long arc, with lots of stolen and altered elements! The Guardians take on a bigger role, but unfortunately, we won't be seeing Hogwarts for a _long_ time.

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Harry Potter: Keeper of the Dark Heart

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 12: A Mission For Kandrakar

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, which belongs to J.K. Rowling, or W.I.T.C.H., which belongs (I think) to Disney and some European lady. This is based on the comic book version of W.I.T.C.H., not the cartoon version, or the kiddy book version. I ask any relatives reading this to never bring it up in my presence or I will cut you off from my will.

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Yan Lin stared. "CASSIDY?"

Cassidy smiled, waving. "Hey, Yan! It's been a while!"

Everyone stared at the diminutive Guardian on Morpheus' back. She was obviously made of wood, obviously alive, and, to those who remembered her, obviously Cassidy.

Morpheus raised an eyebrow in amusement. "What? You all look like you've never seen an ex-Guardian before."

"How is this possible?" someone in the crowd said. "The Guardian Cassidy is dead!"

"The reports of my demise were highly exaggerated," Cassidy said with a straight face.

The two looked at each other and snickered.

"So, the job?" Morpheus prompted.

The Oracle seemed to remember himself. Had he been anyone else, he'd probably have faked a cough. "Yes. The reason we called you here. A world under the protection of Kandrakar is hosting a great event. It has been decided that you and the Guardians will be sent to represent us, to gauge your performance."

"To see how well I take orders, you mean," Morpheus said a little dryly, sounding amused. "Well, that's fair. Any particular way you want it done?"

"You will conduct yourself in a manner befitting a representative of Kandrakar," Tibor said. "We do not wish to hear you have been behaving in a disgusting manner."

"All right, you won't," Morpheus said easily. Cassidy snickered again.

Why was the council getting a bad feeling about this…?

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"So, all of us, huh?" Harry said as he waited with Cassidy in the hall outside the council chambers. "Bit much, isn't it?"

Cassidy nodded. "Definitely. They probably want to make sure you don't try to take over the world the minute you get there or something."

Harry blew are through his nose. "That is _so_ overrated. Honestly, who wants to rule the world? It just means all the world's paperwork somehow gets back to you."

Cassidy giggled. "What do you think they're doing in there?"

Harry shrugged, leaning against a handy wall. "Probably getting their instructions. Which reminds me, don't forget to not call me Harry. I _really_ don't want that name getting around."

Cassidy shrugged. "Shouldn't be hard. After all, I've gotten used to calling you Keeper."

Harry nodded again. "Good. Best that you call me that." A pause. "Do you want to stay here with Yan Lin?"

Cassidy blinked at the seemingly abrupt change in topic. "Huh? Why?"

Harry shrugged. "Well, you two _do_ have a lot of catching up to do and all…"

Before Harry could continue, the doors to the council chambers scraped open again, and a random, forgettable member peeked his head out. "You may return," he– she?–said, before quickly ducking back inside.

Harry pushed back from the wall, stretching out his limbs. "Well, here we go again," he said as he picked up Cassidy and carried her in his arms like the doll she was.

Nodding to acknowledge the Guardians and Yan Lin (Cassidy waved), Harry waited for the Oracle to get around to the meat of the matter.

"The world we are sending you to is called Efhirozay," the Oracle said without any preamble. "The most you need to know is that it is ruled by a _Haligi_, with the aid of a _Pari_ and a _Salamangkero_. The words 'priest' and 'magus' are the closest translations there are. We are sending you to represent Kandrakar in the festival to celebrate the world's good fortune. You're presence will not require active participation, merely to serve to represent Kandrakar. Take care, as your actions– and in small part, the Guardians' as well– will reflect on Kandrakar. Do you believe you can do this?"

Harry shrugged. "It's simple enough, although I don't see why you're sending me if the girls are going too. Pretty redundant, if you ask me."

"The Guardians have their part to play," the Oracle said vaguely. Harry was very much reminded of Dumbledore during the times the man tried to be opaque. "Will you go?"

This time, Harry nodded. "I have nothing better to do. Sure, why not? Count me in."

"Me too!" Cassidy chirped from her current position as dead weight.

Harry looked down at the little redhead. "You sure? I mean, what about all the catching up?"

Cassidy glanced at Yan Lin, who nodded understandingly and gestured, although the old woman had a slightly wistful look on her face. "We can do it later. Besides, without me, who'll keep you out of trouble?"

Harry shrugged, abruptly releasing Cassidy, who fell on her little wooden butt to the floor. "Hey, _I'm_ the one who's usually pulling your wood out of fires, _sidekick_."

Cassidy immediately bound to her feet, a fireball in hand. "_WHO ARE YOU CALLING SIDEKICK?-!-?_"

Kandrakar sweatdropped as they were greeted to the sight of the Keeper of the Dark Heart being chased around by a diminutive wooden doll throwing flames.

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"Crazy pyromaniac," Harry muttered as he rubbed the back of his head where Cassidy's last fireball had connected, watching as Cassidy said her good byes to Yan Lin and some of the council members that she knew from when she'd been a Guardian. "She didn't have to hit me that hard."

"Are you okay?" a familiar voice said. Harry turned way from the scene he'd been watching to meet Hay Lin's gaze. He grinned in greeting.

"Hey, ham and cheese," he said teasingly, remembering their last encounter, the grin widening when the faintest red tinge colored the Air Guardian's cheeks. Apparently, she remembered too. "How have you been? Kissed a guy yet?"

"Not yet," she muttered, still red, before going back to her usual Hay Lin mode. "So, you okay? That was some pretty big fireball she hit you with."

Unconsciously, Harry rubbed the back of his head again as the other Guardians lingered over. "I'm fine. Cass's hit me with worse. She seems especially fond of trying to implode my head in with pots and pans."

The girls blinked. "She's hit you before?" Will exclaimed, surprised.

Harry shrugged. "Cass can get pretty violent. I'm wondering how _she_ ended up with the Heart when Nerissa got dumped. She'd have probably destroyed a building or something in a week."

Another bowling ball sized fireball hit the back of Harry's head, sending him slamming into the ground. "I HEARD THAT, KEEPER!" was Cassidy's yell.

"Owwww…" Harry moaned dramatically as he accepted Irma and Taranee's help up, rubbing the back of his head and quickly re-growing the little hair that had burned off. "See what I mean? Tip: don't get her mad at you. I'm more likely to survive her violent rampages than you are."

There was a fiery 'WHAM!' as another fireball connected, and Harry went down again. "Hey, get a move on, Keeper! We're leaving!"

Harry just moaned again while the girls looked at him with sympathy…

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"Why," Cassidy said, "are we walking?"

Morpheus shrugged as he strolled at the head of their little group, his hands entwined behind his head, looking up at the sky. "Because of man's upright linear structure, evolution has dictated that man walk upright, as this is the most efficient form of locomotion given his physiology. This evolution was caused by–"

"I MEANT IT AS A RHETORICAL QUESTION!"

Morpheus snickered as the Guardians backed away slightly, not wanting to be caught in the fallout of one of Cassidy's Morpheus-directed rages.

"She's scary…" Irma said, cowering unsuccessfully behind Cornelia, who was looking annoyed at having to act as a human shield.

"Don't worry about her," a voice whispered behind her. "Her bark is worse than her bite… and her fireballs."

The girls blinked, looking behind them. A young-looking girl in black and wearing the Dark Heart and a top hot was walking a few steps to their backs.

Hay Lin looked at her, then at the figure of Morpheus walking up front with Cassidy berating him, then at the girl. "Deedee?"

'Deedee' grinned, raising a finger to her lips in the universal sign for silence. She pointed at the figure up front. "Astral Drone. My version of your girls' Astral Drops. I switched and she never noticed."

"Devious," Irma said, smiling in approval.

"Thank you," Deedee said. "As to why we're walking… well, it's kind of required. Sure, we could instantly transposition to where we're going, but that's considered impolite. They've only gotten the Oracle's message saying we'll be coming, and it's only right we give them time to prepare so they don't feel embarrassed."

"So it's all for appearances?" Cornelia said.

Shrug. "Pretty much. Personally, I'm more of a 'do everything right and just forget appearances' kind of guy, but hey, that's me. The rest of the worlds seem to like burdening themselves with appearances that have very little to do with efficiency or the end product."

"Uh…" Taranee said.

Deedee grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I was ranting."

"We noticed," Will said.

The six of them started talking about schoolwork. Or to be more precise, complaining about it. If there was one thing the six of them had in common that could be considered within the bounds of normalcy, it was their active dislike of Academia. Granted, Taranee didn't dislike it _that_ much, but even she agreed the workload tends to be annoying, especially when it came between her and the important stuff, like saving the world and…

"Boys," Deedee said knowingly. "Or girls, in my case. Not that I'm actually _interested_ in anyone, but it can be such a pain when you want to put the moves on someone. Unless of course, you're going with the 'can you help me with my homework?' angle."

Will, Taranee, Hay Lin and Irma silently took note of the method, while Cornelia smirked in triumph. _She_ had no need to 'put the moves' on someone. Unfortunately for her, Irma noticed.

"What are _you_ smirking about?" Irma asked pointedly, giving the blonde Guardian a _look_.

"She's probably being self-satisfied over the fact that she has Caleb and that even if things don't pan out with him, she has a backup girl ready to rebound back too," Deedee said innocently, her face matching her tone.

The results were predictable, to say the least.

Will's eyebrow began to twitch. "Backup girl?" she repeated.

Irma and Hay Lin's eyes went wide. "_Backup girl_?"

Taranee's just stared.

Cornelia had turned red, whether from anger or embarrassment; there was no way of knowing.

Deedee nodded, seemingly oblivious to the looks Cornelia and Will were shooting her. "Uh huh. Of course, I'm not sure if Elyon swings that way, but Cornelia can try, can't she?"

Any response from the girls was interrupted when a fireball flying a perfect parabolic arc impacted on Deedee's head, knocking off her top hat and planting her face on the ground.

"That switch wasn't funny!" Cassidy screamed as she stomped over to Keeper's prone form.

Deedee sighed as she got up, giving Cassidy an annoyed look. "You know, this casual violence bit of yours is getting pretty dangerous."

Cassidy smirked. "You'll live." She looked around at the girls. "What has this idiot been saying, anyway?"

Irma and Hay Lin just stared at Cornelia. "_Rebound **girl**_?

Cassidy sighed. "You really don't believe that cracked up story you told me about Cornelia seducing Will, do you?"

Irma perked up. "She did?"

Deedee nodded. "Uh huh! Will tried _so_ hard to get away, but in the end, it was all for naught! Cornelia followed her to a lonely section of the park and there…"

Irma and Hay Lin leaned forward, eyes wide and listening intently. "And then…?"

Deedee swooned, putting the back of her hand on her forehead. "THEY KISSED!"

Cassidy rolled her eyes. "Oh, please…"

"HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?-!-?" Will and Cornelia chorused.

"You mean it's true?" Hay Lin said.

Will and Cornelia suddenly went very still.

Deedee snickered. "Don't worry," she said. "We won't tell Matt and Caleb. What the two of you do is your business."

"Will," Cornelia said quite calmly.

"Yes Cornelia?" Will answered in the same tone.

"Let's kill her."

"Gladly."

"EEP!" Deedee cried as she dodged the combined blasts of the powers of Earth and Heart. "Hey! What happened to the alliance thing?"

"Need help, ladies?" Cassidy said as she revved up her flames.

Deedee pouted at her. "Traitor."

"Hey, we Guardians gotta stick together. Now, GET HER!"

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After a merry chase that had Harry dodging, Will and Cornelia blasting, Cassidy flaming, and Irma, Hay Lin and eventually Taranee laughing, the group from Kandrakar found themselves having lunch at a little clearing next to the road they were traveling, watching the occasionally cart, wagon or pedestrian go by.

"I'll work on it!" Harry said, pouting at Cassidy. That forlorn look the redhead was sending her as they all ate was starting to get on her nerves. "Will you stop staring please? It's getting creepy!"

When Cassidy just sighed, looking wistful, Harry tore at her hair. "Look, I'll get you a better body, all right? I just need to research how to do it so that we don't end up using the Dark Arts!"

"I know…" Cassidy said.

Harry hung her head. "You're not going to stop it 'til you actually _do_ have a new body, are you?"

Silence.

Harry sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose and muttering about fushi tensei or something. "Maybe I should have left you with Tonks. Or Yuko. You and Watanuki seemed to get along…"

"This is pretty good," Taranee said hesitantly, trying to defuse the situation. She took another bite of the bar Harry had given each of them for lunch.

Harry smiled. "Thanks. I kind of whipped it together out of all the candy bars I've ever eaten. And since I made it from magic, it's actually healthy!"

"More please!" Hay Lin and Irma said.

Harry waved her hand, and more bars appeared in front of the two. They immediately got to work.

Will and Cornelia, meanwhile, were still glaring at her. Maybe bringing up what happened at the park hadn't been such a good idea. Frantically, she tried to think of a way to get them to stop looking at her, and spotted a carriage coming down the road. "Who do you guys think that is? That's the first carriage I've seen coming through here."

The girls all turn to look and immediately start 'ooh'-ing and 'ahh'-ing.

The thing coming towards them looked like something out of a Disney princess-movie. It was painted mother-of-pearl-white, with golden trimmings and fanciful designs on it. The creatures in front looked enough like unicorns to make any little girl squeal in cuteness, and it was compounded by the fact that they were in rainbow colors.

"Wow! I wouldn't mind having one of those!" Irma said, staring.

"I wanna rainbow pony-corn!" Hay Lin squealed. Harry, her thoughts slightly dirtier that those of her peers, snickered at the possible innuendo. Cassidy bopped her on the head, knowing what was going through her mind.

They watched as the carriage rolled towards them. It was about to blow past when it suddenly stopped. Everyone blinked as the door suddenly opened and a green, white and gray blur suddenly ran out. "CORNY!" it cried, tackling Cornelia, much to her surprise.

Cornelia blinked, looking down and trying to identify the person who was now hugging her waist. All she could see was a head of silver-blonde hair, but that actually helped narrow it down. There was only one person she knew who'd come out of a carriage fit for a princess, with silver-blonde hair to boot. "Elyon?"

The Light of Meridian grinned up at her, the Crown of Light shining on her head. "Hey, Cornelia!"

Laughing, Cornelia bent down slightly to hug her friend back, having a little problem due to the fact that she was taller by at least a foot and a half. "ELYON! It's so good to see you! What are _you_ doing here?"

Elyon raised an eyebrow at her. "Isn't that _my_ line? I'm here because I received an invite to attend the Efhirozay celebration ceremonies on behalf of the Metamoor. What are you guys doing here?"

By this time, the other girls had crowded around the two friends and were adding their own hugs.

"Well, we kind of got stuck representing Kandrakar," Will said.

There was a sniff from down by their feet. "You mean you got stuck watching the one who got stuck representing Kandrakar!"

Elyon looked down and noticed Cassidy for the first time. She raised her royal eyebrow. "Um, new member?"

Harry, meanwhile, had gravitated over towards the carriage, where a familiar young man with green markings on his face was standing by the door. "Hey, Caleb. It's been a while."

The former Whisperer blinked at being addressed by the dark-haired girl. "Um, do I know you?"

Harry blinked, before slapping her forehead and knocking off her top hat. "Silly me. I forgot, you've never seen me like this before, have you?"

"I'm pretty sure I've never seen you before, period," Caleb said.

Harry grinned. "Maybe this will refresh your memory," she said.

Snapping her fingers, there was a brief swirl of black mist, and suddenly, she was a he about the same height as the Guardians, wearing all black and bearing distinctive eyes. "Recognize me now?"

Caleb involuntarily stepped back, surprised at the transformation. "Morpheus!"

"He likes to be called Keeper now," Will said as she and the girls ambled over, having finished their chatting. "Or Deedee or whatever he feels like being called."

Harry grinned. "Hey, I like my variety."

Elyon looked at him intently. "Are you the one Caleb was telling me about? The 'Keeper of the Dark Heart'?"

Harry bowed at the waist. "Currently the one and only, princess, unless my successor gets born soon, which I very much hope isn't going to happen yet."

Elyon frowned. "Funny, you don't _look_ like evil incarnate…"

Keeper turned to pout at Caleb. "What have you been telling her?" he whined Naruto-style.

Caleb raised his hands placatingly, not wanting a PO-ed Dark Keeper after him. "NOTHING! Well, nothing but the truth. But the Metamoor has stories about–"

Harry's face darkened–literally and figuratively–and he raised his hand to cut Caleb off. "Say no more," he said. "I get it."

He turned to Elyon. "Well, since I don't match what the stories say about us, are you willing to let me try to disprove them?"

The young princess looked towards the Guardians, bemused. They all shrugged.

"Let him," Irma said, then grinned. "At the very least, it's not going to be boring!"

Elyon raised an eyebrow at that, but turned to Harry and extended her hand. "Elyon, of the line of Escador, Light of Meridian and Princess of the Metamoor, formerly Elyon Brown, at you service," she said.

Grinning, Harry took her hand. "Call me Morpheus or Keeper, your majesty. I am the Keeper of the Dark Heart."

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The journey became more interesting after that point. Elyon decided to walk with them, since there wasn't really much room inside the carriage and besides, her legs had been getting cramped. Caleb had protested, saying that her slippers weren't up to it, but after Keeper had conjured up a sturdy pair of walking shoes for her, Caleb gave in. Vathek, who was driving the carriage (there was a brief reunion between him and the girls too), was ordered to go on ahead and wait for them at a likely place to camp, since they were supposed (according to Keeper's 'politeness info', as he called it) to arrive within a minimum of three days. Less was considered impolite. Apparently, the people of Efhirozay set a great store by journeys, believing the journey itself was more important than the destination. Go figure.

Keeper had taken to carrying Cassidy around in his arms when it became apparent that walking was causing too much wear and tear on his little sidekick's ("I AM NOT YOUR SIDEKICK!" Fireball. Slam. Fall on face) joints and other wooden parts.

Elyon was great company, and even though she spent most of her time catching up with her friends, Keeper obviously liked having her around. He spent most of his time observing Cornelia and Caleb, though. The two were always off to one side, holding hands and exchanging meaningful looks when they thought no one was watching. Cassidy was mildly amused to note that he had on the same look on his face that he used to have whenever he'd been watching Lupin and Tonks–man, she missed Tonks!– whenever he'd been watching them sit or talk together. She had a pretty good idea what was going through his head.

They did make a cute couple, though…

Then something came up in conversation.

"I'm not likely to get kissed any time soon," Elyon laughed, answering one of her friends' questions. "People tend to get intimidated when you're a princess, not to mention the savior of your world! And no offense to my people, but…"

"There aren't a lot who look kissable," Irma said, eliciting a giggle and a nod from Elyon.

"Exactly! The best looking one _might_ be Cedric," Elyon made a face. "But I'm pretty sure green was his real color."

All the girls seemed to shudder at the thought of kissing this Cedric.

Then, Keeper said, "So the only way you'll be able to have your first kiss is if it's someone not from the Metamoor?"

Elyon grinned. "Pretty much. Why, you volunteering?"

The tone was teasing, so Keeper just laughed. "No, but maybe your friends could help you out."

Cassidy slapped her face, knowing what was going to happen next.

She was right.

Irma suddenly had a conniving look on her face. "I'm sure Will or Corny would be _more_ then happy to do something about your first kiss–"

"IRMA!" Will yelled, turning as red as her hair.

Cassidy sighed. "I blame you for this," she muttered up at Keeper, deciding it wasn't worth the trouble to torch him.

Elyon gave Irma a questioning look, seemingly ignoring the raging Keeper of the Heart. "What do you mean? Last I checked, these two weren't exactly the 'love them and leave them' types."

Will slapped a hand over Irma's mouth, a totally face smile on her face as she waved her other hand. "Don't listen to her, she doesn't know what she's talking about! Had one too many baths and washed away her brains! HA HA!"

Elyon rolled her eyes. "That doesn't work in real life, Will."

"It does, actually," Keeper said dryly. "The person you're talking to just has to be below eight years of age."

"Like Cornelia's sister?" Will said a little too loudly.

Elyon smirked at her. "Nice try, Will. So, what did you mean, Irma?"

Unfortunately for Irma, Will still had her hand clamped over the other girl's mouth. Unfortunately for Will…

"Well, you see, Will and Cornelia kind of have experience giving girls their first kiss–" that was as far as Hay Lin got before Will had her other hand over the Chinese girl's mouth.

"– And I'm sure they're willing to share their expertise with a friend," Keeper finished for her.

Elyon raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Keeper nodded. "All that remains is for you to answer two questions: 'blonde or redhead?' and 'tongue or no tongue?'"

Elyon's eyes went wide and she shot Will a sideways look as she finally realized what we were getting at. "Oh…"

Will threw back her head. "CORNELIA! WE HAVE TO KILL MORPHEUS AGAIN!"

Cassidy sighed as Keeper gave a laugh and dropped her as blasts of energy started flying his way. "Here we go again," she muttered under her breath.

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After another merry chase that left a lot of new potholes on the road and ended with Keeper getting slammed into a tree with the power of Earth, Will and Cornelia were once more glaring at Harry, who for some reason couldn't stop grinning and snickering. Irma and Hay Lin were similarly afflicted, while Taranee seemed to be trying to pretend she wasn't there.

"It's not that bad, Cornelia," Harry said as he repaired the damage the girls had wrought on the road with his version of the Power of Earth. He shot a look at an embarrassed looking Caleb and snickered. "I happen to know for a fact that guys find girls who kiss girls _quite_ a turn on. Right, Caleb?"

The ex-Whisperer blushed deeper and muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

"See?" Harry said cheerily, barely managing to dodge the fireball Cassidy sent his way. He wasn't able to dodge the fire dragon.

From his position on the ground, Harry turned his head to look at a fuming Cassidy. "Since when did you use _Katon: Karyuu Endan_?"

Cassidy sniffed. "Since now. Stop teasing Cornelia and Will!"

"Aww…" Harry pouted. "But they look so cute when they're red…"

"Grr…" Cassidy said, punching Harry in the head. Since she only had an itty-bitty wooden fist, it didn't do a lot of damage.

"Ow…" Harry said, rubbing his head, which had suddenly grown a huge, flesh-colored bump. "That _hurt_…"

Rolling her eyes, Cassidy stomped off as Harry vanished away the fake bump and got back on his feet, none the worse for wear. "Well, come on! Let's get moving!"

So saying, Harry began to walk down the road again, hands behind his head and doing a very good Asakura Yoh impersonation.

Behind him, he distinctly heard someone say, "That guy is nuts."

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Finally, after a few days and much walking…

"Finally," Harry said, throwing his arms wide as he floated about an inch off the ground. "We're here!"

"About time," Cornelia muttered, discretely rubbing her foot on her other leg. "My feet are killing me!"

The other Guardians voiced similar complaints, with the exception of Hay Lin, who had taken Harry's lead and had been using her power to float for the last day and a half. Cassidy was as usual perched on Harry's head.

Harry ignored the grumpy blonde. "Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to Corundus, capital city of Efhirozay!"

"Nice," Elyon said neutrally from where she was seated next to Vathek at the front of the wagon. Hey, as a princess, she didn't have to walk if she didn't want to. The Guardians, however, were just being stubborn. Irma had wanted to get right in the carriage, but apparently, that just wasn't done when the princess was riding in front, even though said princess said it was all right.

Harry grinned widely at them. "Well? Come on! Let's take a look around!"

All the walkers groaned.

"We'd better not," Taranee said, trying to sound convincing. "Aren't we supposed to meet the _Salamangkero Mataas_ at noon?"

Harry looked at the sun. "We have about an hour!" Harry said. "Plenty of time!"

"For _you_, maybe," Cassidy said, pulling herself forward so that she was facing Harry upside-down. "But these girls don't exactly teleport everywhere. Go to the palace. _NOW!_"

Harry pouted. "Spoilsport."

Sighing, Harry led the way to the palace. The streets of Corundus were crowded, and Elyon's carriage barely managed to keep with those on foot. Even they could tell the city was busy making preparations for a festival that would likely last days. It was all so like the memories Harry had from the Dark Heart from other times and cities long past and dead. Men women and children were rushing in all directions, raising up these flowers, carrying this tray, cleaning that porch. The air rippled with excitement, thousands of voices singing their eagerness of what was to come. Tentatively, Harry reached through his link with Hay Lin, hearing the music of this through her ears, becoming a thousand times more beautiful and holding much more significance.

After fighting their way through the crowd, they eventually reached what the people at Kandrakar had simply called a palace. Up close, it was an understatement. Even Harry was impressed by the edifice, which appeared to be made of solid vertical columns of crystal. It was surrounded on all sides by a gently sloping lawn, with wide avenues and fountains leading up to it. The palace somehow managed to seem part yet apart from the rest of the city, a pure glass pillar holding up the sky.

"Big," Harry said, rubbing the back of his neck, which was a bit tense at his looking nearly all the way up.

"Meridian doesn't have anything like _this_," Elyon said, sounding impressed.

They walked down the widest avenue that led up to the palace, the girls' heads trying to take in the palace's towers while at the same time trying not to trip. Irma actually fell flat on her face a couple of times.

A man stood at the end of the avenue, at the base of the stairs leading up to the main entrance of the palace. He wore soft-looking white robes trimmed in blue. A gray sash was wrapped around his waist, a long white staff with a crystal wrapped in a silver lattice on top in his hand. Fine, waist-length silver hair flowed in the wind as he stood patiently, his eyes following Harry and the Guardians' progress while he obviously waited for them.

"Whoa," Irma said, whispering to Taranee. "He is _HOT!_"

"And likely old enough to be your grandfather," Harry said dryly.

"And how would _you_ know?" Irma demanded.

"I can feel his magic all the way from _here_!" Harry said, twisting his lip at her. "When people get that strong, they tend to look young or stop aging. I personally know a guy who's a hundred fifty– give or take a few years– who looks… well, still this side of a hundred, anyway."

Irma seemed to think about this for a moment. "Aw, he still looks hot!"

Harry shook his head, muttering about girls with pretty-boy complexes.

The group walked up to the man with Harry and Elyon in the lead, Caleb and the Guardians about a step back. Harry kept a running tally of observations as they approached. As they got closer, though, Harry started feeling like Professor Flitwick. The guy was _tall_! He had to be at least six and a half feet tall, seven easy! Harry's Dark Keeper form only came up to his chest! And yet… Harry looked at his arm, comparing. Yup. The guy was thinner than _he_ was! His power was comparable to Nerissa, maybe more. Rating magic wasn't exactly a science.

The guy waited patiently as they approached him, offering a welcoming smile as he nodded in greeting. "Welcome, travelers. I am Clef, the _Salamangkero Mataas _of Efhirozay. On behalf of the _Haligi_, Prince Emerous, I greet you and invite to the palace."

Both Elyon and Harry bowed formally, Harry barely resisting the urge to shoot up a few inches to match the guy. He was _not_ feeling insecure! "Your greetings warm our heart and ease our pains, _Salamangkero_ Clef," he and Elyon responded in tandem. "We are glad to accept your welcome."

At this, Harry straightened, but Elyon remained slightly bent. "Master Clef, I am Princess Elyon of Meridian. May I offer my blessings to the welfare of Efhirozay, and my prayers to the _Haligi_."

Clef bowed. "Greetings, Princess of Meridian. It is an honor to have with us it's Light."

Taking that as his cue, Harry swept a bow that was slightly more elaborate than what he had done before, making the tail of his coat sweep dramatically. "Master Clef, I am the Keeper of the Dark Heart. I bring blessings from Kandrakar and carry their prayers to the _Haligi_."

Clef blinked, taking an involuntary step back as Harry named himself, gripping his staff with both hands, before suddenly relaxing. "Stranger, it is not polite to jest about such things."

Harry straightened, deliberately slouching in a relaxed manner as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "I assure you, it is no jest. I am the Keeper of the Dark Heart, and am acting as the representative of Kandrakar."

Clef stared in astonishment, before looking questioningly at the Guardians behind Harry. He obviously recognized them for what they were– who else would dress like that?– and was looking for confirmation. When all five of them nodded, he returned his gaze towards Harry.

"Are you truly the Keeper of the Dark Heart? You are not as I imagined," he said cautiously, his grip on his staff not loosening.

"The Keeper of the Dark Heart gets replaced just like the Keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar," Harry said. "Whoever is mentioned in your stories about the Dark Keepers– I think it might be Juri; good man, if I remember correctly– I assure you, I am nothing like him. The only thing we have in common is the possession of the Dark Heart."

Clef seemed to think about his for a moment, pursing his lips. Harry made a mental note to find out what kind of Dark Keeper stories they had around here. Not all of them were as bad as those being passed around in Kandrakar, but most showed the Dark Keepers in a light that was at best mischievous and at worst demonic. He really hoped it was the former; he didn't want to dig around Clef's brain right then to find out.

Finally, Clef inclined his head slightly, his grip on his staff loosening the tiniest bit. "Greetings, Keeper of the Dark Heart. Greetings to the representative of Kandrakar. It is an honor to have one from the center of infinity."

Harry's lip twitched. Downplaying it, was he?

As servants appeared out of nowhere to direct Vathek to where he may park the carriage and unload Elyon's luggage, Clef turned and motioned that they follow him. as Harry used his magic to muffle Irma's groan about how they'd have to do more walking, Clef oh-so-_casually_ said, "I am curious as to how a Keeper of the Dark Heart came under the employ of the Oracle. The stories led us to believe that they who Keep The Heart Of Darkness were locked in eternal struggle with the center of infinity."

"Don't believe everything you here," Harry said cheerfully as he followed Clef, keeping pace with the taller man. He'd be _damned_ if he got left behind! "Most of the stories about my fellow Dark Keepers are ridiculously over-inflated by time, distance, fear and propaganda. We're generally a peaceful bunch with the occasional idiot who happened to get it into his head to take over the world. As for my current employment," Harry paused, considering, "I was recently able to perform an act for Kandrakar that has granted me the chance to prove that all those stories misrepresent Dark Keepers. As such, I am now acting to aid Kandrakar in certain matters so that I may prove my sincerity and perhaps forge a lasting peace between them and any of my Successors. This is in fact my first mission for them."

"Indeed?" Clef said, looking at him out of the corner of his eye. "Is that why the Guardians accompany you? Because you are untested?"

Harry shrugged, ignoring the implications in the man's words. He had a right to be paranoid; after all, it was _his_ world! "Oh, they're just there to rate how I do, and gain a little experience as well. Kandrakar trusts me, but it doesn't know how capable I am yet."

"I see…" Clef said, lapsing into silence for a moment as they continued walking. "I beg your pardon, but I do not believe I caught your name."

Harry slapped his forehead in an exaggerated fashion. "Oh, silly me, where are my manners? I am called Keeper, Master Clef. Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to reveal my real name. I hope you understand."

Clef frowned slightly, but nodded, not seeming to want to press the issue. "Very well, Lord Keeper."

Clef excused himself shortly, saying he had a few matters he needed to oversee for the upcoming celebrations. A servant showed them all the their quarters, which wasn't that far apart from each other. In fact, Elyon's apartments were right next to their own.

Harry looked around _their_ apartments. Three rooms that all led into a joint sitting room, which was apparently a common arrangement in this world. The floors were carpeted, the ceiling was painted to look like the sky, and their were only three beds.

_That_ was a problem.

"Guess I'm sleeping on the couch," Harry said after he and the girls had finished surveying the rooms. "I'm fairly sure Cassidy would incinerate me if I slept next to a girl I'm either not married to or isn't my sister."

"Got that right," Cassidy said.

Cornelia raised an eyebrow at him. "You have a sister?"

Harry grinned. "Uh-huh! I have a _darling_ older sister who's going through a pretty tough time right now. I hope she's all right."

"She'll be fine," Cassidy said confidently. "Just as long as she doesn't do anything stupid."

"Yeah, well, stupid is one of the things we both excel in."

Cassidy winced, obviously offering up a prayer.

"Sleeping arrangements?" Taranee reminded them.

"I'm taking the couch," Harry repeated, dropping down on the piece of furniture in the middle of the sitting room. "And a nap. Why don't you girls roam around or something? The ceremonies are starting tonight, though, so don't tire yourselves out. It'll be pretty embarrassing if any of you have to be carried back to the room."

Cornelia immediately went out without saying a word. Everyone suddenly came down with a case of 'amused smiles'.

"Betcha a thousand bucks she's off to look for either Elyon or Caleb," Harry said as he leaned back and closed his eyes…

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Harry would certainly be a thousand bucks richer had anyone taken that bet. As the other Guardians went off on their own to see what they could see, Cornelia stood in front of the door to Elyon's– and, since he was accompanying her, Caleb's– apartments, her fist raised to announce her presence. Said fist had been up for the past thirty seconds, however, and she still hadn't done it. Anyone who knew her would be puzzled and amused at the Earth Guardian's indecision. She really wasn't the kind to hesitate, as demonstrated by all the times she's gone charging headlong into trouble.

Finally, she took her nth deep breath and tentatively knocked. The door opened so fast, she was nearly sucked in by the vacuum it created in it's wake.

"Finally!" Elyon said, frowning slightly. "I've been wondering how long you planned to stand out here!"

"Sorry," Cornelia said sheepishly.

Elyon rolled her eyes, before waving Cornelia inside. "Come in, come in! I've been wanting to talk to you in private."

Cornelia raised an eyebrow, hiding her worry behind her usual front of confidence– which was slightly chipped today. "You have?"

Elyon nodded as she led the way to the couch. Her quarters were bigger and more impressive than the Guardians' but that was to be expected. She was a princess, after all. "Yeah. We haven't really had a chance to properly catch up. I mean, talking to you on the road was fun, but the others were listening in, and that really isn't conducive to best friends bonding time, you know?"

"Oh," Cornelia said, relieved. She'd been afraid Elyon had been waiting for her about something else…

Cornelia sat down next to Elyon. "So," Elyon said, "What's up with you lately?"

Cornelia and Elyon started chatting about the things only _they_ could talk about. Sure, they were friends with the other girls, but they'd been best friends for far longer, and there were just some things you could only really talk about with your best friends. Like…

"So you _really_ kissed Will?" Elyon said, amused.

Cornelia reaffirmed her vow to get even with Morpheus– Keeper; whoever– for this. "Uh, yeah. The first time, Keeper kind of forced her to do it, but the second time, well…" Cornelia trailed off, her blush deepening.

Elyon chuckled. "You sly dog you! I didn't know you were the kind who preyed on innocent young maidens."

"ELYON!" Cornelia protested.

The princess didn't stop, however. "So, what kind of girls do you like?" she teased. Cornelia groaned internally. Her friend had obviously not teased anyone in a while. Why, oh WHY did it have to be her?

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Hay Lin roamed the halls of the palace. Since she was the only other person in their group who could fly, she hadn't opted to take a nap and take a load off her feet. Besides, she was a bundle of energy anyway, and there was no way she could just lie around and nap!

The inside of the palace had obviously been put through a hard scrubbing. Surfaces shone, and there wasn't a hint of dust anywhere. The rustling of the curtains and the distant sounds of the city outside all sang in her ears, and it was all she could do to keep from closing her eyes and swaying with what she heard.

Coming to an intersection, she was surprised to see a blonde girl jumping into a large decorative pot and pulling the cover of said pot over the opening. Before she could comment, however, two girls rounded the far corner, breathing hard and looking slightly annoyed.

"Where is she?" the shorter of the pair growled. She had long blonde hair, freckles, and barely came up to Hay Lin's chest.

Her companion looked similarly annoyed, but managed to keep it under better control. Spotting Hay Lin, the taller brown-haired girl asked, "Excuse me, but have you seen a girl come by here anywhere? A little taller than me, blonde hair, large chest?"

"Um, she's in there," Hay Lin said, bemused, as she pointed at the pot.

As one, the two girls strode towards the pot and pulled off the lid. "There you are, Mana!" the shorter blonde said irritably. "What do you think you're doing, hiding in there? We have a lot of work to do, and I won't have you slacking off! If Master Clef found out about this…!"

"But Rebeka…" a voice that sounded like it was pouting emanated from the pot.

"No buts, Mana," the brown-haired girl said, coming up to stand behind her companion and crossing her arms, obviously annoyed. "If you don't come out, we'll tell Eugee!"

A blonde head popped out of the pot. "That's playing dirty, Anzuh," she said. Hay Lin was right, she _was_ pouting.

"I don't _care_, Damagi, you are not skipping out and leaving us to do all the work!" So saying, the shorter blonde apparently named Rebeka tried to pull Mana out of the pot. By her hair.

"OUCH! Hey, WATCH IT! Are you trying to snatch me bald?" Mana said.

"Uh, need help?" Hay Lin said hesitantly.

The two jerked, as if remembering that they weren't alone. Mana nearly made her pot fall over.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" the one called Anzuh said. "We didn't mean to be rude."

"Uh, no problem," Hay Lin said. "So, need help getting her out?"

"Please?" Rebeka said, glaring at the other blonde, who was sweating like crazy.

"Rebeka, stop looking at me like that," Mana said. "I swear, this is the last time I'm going to cut–"

"The last time?" Rebeka said. "That's what you said before, Mana Damagi!"

Mana winced. "Would you mind not using my full name?"

Rebeka looked like she had a retort ready, but Anzuh placed a hand on her shoulder, and she clenched her mouth shut, although she still looked annoyed. With Hay Lin's help, the three of them were able to pull out Mana from where she was hiding. When they did, Hay Lin wondered how the heck she'd managed to fit in there. Granted, the pot was big, but Mana was half a head taller than Keeper! Not to mention, Hay Lin noted with a little jealousy, that she was very well developed, making fitting in enclosed spaces a problem.

"How the heck did you fit in there?" Hay Lin exclaimed, blinking rapidly as she tried to stop herself from staring at the taller girl's chest.

"Practice," Rebeka said dryly. "Come on, Damagi, we've got work to do!"

With that, the shorter blonde started pulling the taller back the way they came. Anzuh took a moment to thank Hay Lin before she was rushing after them, grabbing hold of Mana's other arm as if to prevent her from escaping.

Hay Lin was left in the hall next to an empty pot with it's lid leaning against it. "Okay…"

What was that all about?

Shrugging, Hay Lin put the incident out of her mind as she continued her tour…

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Taranee stifled a yawn as she walked down unfamiliar paths. Irma and Will had been snoring too loudly for her to get any rest. Fortunately, she wasn't as tired as everyone else, having snuck on the back of Elyon's carriage a couple of times to hitch a ride. She figured since she could sleep, she might as well look around.

Idly, she wondered how things were back at home. Keeper had told them he'd stopped time back on Earth, so having their parents worry wasn't a problem, but still, she thought about what she'd be doing if they weren't here. Probably homework or something equally mundane…

"Hello," a voice suddenly said.

Taranee jerked out of her thoughts, startled and barely managing to keep herself from jumping in surprise. A young boy looked up at her. He had blond hair, and looked to be only a little bit older than her. He had a serene look on his face, which seemed to match his pure white robes. His blue eyes watched her, and for some reason she couldn't identify, he really creeped her out.

"Oh, hello," Taranee said hesitantly. Okay, maybe he wasn't so creepy–in fact, he was a positive angel– but still, those eyes were a _tad_ bit disconcerting.

"What are you doing here?" the boy asked, smiling at her. His smile compounded her problem with his eyes. His smile was a bit too much like the Oracle's for comfort.

"Oh, I'm just walking around," Taranee said. Yup, very creepy, the way he could make her change her mind about him at the drop of a hat, so to speak. "Why? Aren't I supposed to be here?"

The boy shook his head. "No, it's all right for you to be here. You are one of the representatives from the other worlds, are you not?"

"Um, yes," Taranee answered.

"Which one?"

Taranee thought about it, and decided to be as close to honest as she could be. "Kandrakar."

The boy's eyes widened, and for a moment, surprise replaced serenity. "Oh! Wh–?"

"Your highness?" a voice behind Taranee said.

This time, Taranee _did _jump in surprise, whirling around to see who'd snuck up on her. A regal looking woman in black robes stood there, her face nearly as serene as the boy's if it weren't for the hints of worry. "Your highness, I apologize for intruding, but it is time for you to prepare for tonight's festivities."

Taranee blinked. Highness?

The boy inclined his head slightly, not seeming to notice he was talking to someone who was possibly one of the most beautiful, well-proportioned, well-endowed women Taranee had ever seen. "Very well, Lanphere." Turning to Taranee, he smiled serenely. "I enjoyed our conversation, messenger of Kandrakar. Perhaps we can speak again some time."

"Um, same here," Taranee said, wondering how anyone could consider that a conversation.

Nodding, the boy turned to follow the older woman, who nodded gravely to Taranee before turning around and seemingly putting her out of her mind completely. The Guardian of Fire watched as the two turned a corner and disappeared.

"Highness?" Taranee wondered.

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Night fell over the city of Corundus, and with it, lights rose. Music and the sounds of merrymaking began to sing from the city even before the sun set. The full moon shone from a cloudless night, and the stars glittered like the ice he was very fond of throwing around as Harry, the Guardians, Elyon, Caleb and Cassidy followed what seemed to be the local equivalent of a Knight towards one of the topmost floors of the castle. After brusquely informing them his name was Zethos, he'd led them through various hallways that Taranee and Irma seemed familiar with, before leading them to a _huge_ set of double doors and curtly informing them that the ceremonies would take place in there and disappearing into the crowd. Harry noted that the other Knight-equivalents who were also leading delegates and representatives were obviously trying not to get in his way. Perhaps he had some kind of reputation?

"Rude much?" Irma said, glaring at the direction their guide had gone.

"Forget about it, Lair," Harry said, waving him off. Best to forget about it. "We were probably making him late for a hot date or something."

"With that ice-cube, somehow I doubt it," Cassidy muttered.

"Be nice, Cass," Harry admonished mockingly as he led the way into the hall, whistling appreciatively. The room was _huge_! It had to be at least twice as big as the Great Hall in Hogwarts, maybe more!

"Oh, my…" Will said, trailing off as her eyes tried to take in everything.

With a little difficulty, Harry managed to lead/drag their little party to where they were obviously supposed to sit (there was a place card). Gradually, the room filled up as the other representatives and delegates entered and took their places. Most were humanoid in shape, although their facial features and things like hair distribution was different, but there was also an insectile-looking group that Harry couldn't tell if they were wearing body armor or if those were their actual body parts. Not that he bothered to ask. He was just thankful that those near their immediate vicinity were close enough to baseline human to keep the girls from staring. Elyon was probably used to the variety, what with the diverse sizes and shapes the people of the Metamoor came in, but the Guardians…

_Be polite,_ he reminded the five of them telepathically, before tuning them out to study those around him. Idle conversation was popping up, and members of widely diverging races greeted each other across the room, obviously familiar with each other. He supposed this wasn't the first time they'd been to something like this.

He also noted that most parties had at least one magic user of respectable ability. Many appeared to be experienced swordsmen as well. Judging from the fact that many had weapons with them–ranging from everything from swords to huge scythes!– Harry supposed that Clef wasn't exactly worried about people trying to kill the _Haligi_.

"Caleb," he muttered to the guy next to him, who was scanning the room as well, "do you think you need your sword?"

The former rebel leader shook his head. "I don't think there'll be trouble. And if there is, I can handle myself. You _did_ stick my copy of the Five Powers back into me."

Harry chuckled. "So I did, didn't I?"

"Are you expecting something to happen?"

Harry shook his head. "No, but better safe than sorry. So many people, many with powerful magic… I'm sure our guests don't have those soldiers of theirs for no reason."

"Well, let's just hope nothing happens," Caleb said.

Harry resisted the urge to groan. Now he'd jinxed it!

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"Is everything ready?"

"Yes, my lady. Everyone knows where they are supposed to be. There will be no problems. Should the foreigners attempt to interfere, they can be dealt with."

"Excellent. And the escape route?"

"It will be cleared."

"Good. Tonight shall begin the fruition of my plans…"

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"Up!" Harry hissed, suiting actions to words as he rose with the blare of trumpets. All around them, other representatives were standing up as the girls scrambled to their feet. Harry lashed out quickly with his magic to prevent goblets and stuff from dropping to the floor in an unceremonious clatter. He was aware of nearby magic-users sending amused looks his way. He ignored them, trying to keep the girls from making fools of themselves.

As the trumpets died, the double doors opened. Clef stepped forth, staff in hand (Irma sighed dreamily as Harry rolled his eyes), which he used to strike the ground three times. A loud clap accompanied each strike echoing through the room. "Presenting his Highness, the _Haligi_ of Efhirozay, Prince Emerous!"

There was applause as a young boy who looked about Harry's real age stepped into the room, accompanied by a beautiful woman that momentarily had Caleb– and Cornelia, he was amused to note– staring before they caught themselves. A few chairs away, he heard Taranee gasp. Clef joined the two, flanking the young boy protectively opposite the woman as they strode through the center of the room. The applause didn't stop until they'd reached the other end of the hall, at was obviously the place of honor.

The boy raised a hand for silence, which dropped so fast over the room it was startling. Harry was impressed. This kid, the _Haligi_, positively radiated command. Add that to the fact he was powerful…

Harry's musings were interrupted as the _Haligi_ began to speak. "Welcome, visitors and friends. I greet you and welcome you to Corundus, and to all Efhirozay. May your stay be as pleasant as the best of dreams. You blessings and good will for our world warm our souls as the sun warms our hearts. May you always be friends of our land."

With these simple words, delivered quietly yet somehow reaching every corner of the room, the _Haligi_ sat down as the room once more filled with applause. Immediately, food was brought in as the double doors opened yet again and dancers wearing diaphanous scarves, skirts and a plethora of other clothes swirled into the room, accompanied by music, flower petals and confetti.

"I take it you know the _Haligi_?" Harry said to Taranee once the food had been served, and Irma, Hay Lin and Will were making enough noise to cover their conversation.

The fire Guardian nodded as she cut up a bird that looked like roast chicken. "I met him when I was taking a walk this afternoon. I didn't know who he was them, though. Although I _did_ wonder why that Lanphere lady called him 'highness'."

"Lanphere… that's the one in black, right?" Harry said, glancing at where Clef was sitting next to the _Haligi_. For all the food, his highness didn't seem to be too hungry.

Taranee nodded. "He seemed nice enough, but sort of reminded me of the Oracle."

Harry smiled. "Creeped you out, huh?"

----------------------------------------

"Now."

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Before Taranee could respond, a loud wind rose, causing the great double doors to slowly swing open and bang against the wall. Some of the dancers and those wearing short skirts shrieked in surprise as the flower petals and confetti blew widely around the room. There was a murmur of confusion as the wind slowly abated, yet it's roaring remained.

"What the heck was that?" Cassidy asked from where she was sitting next to Will.

Harry looked around, noting the general confusion. Others seemed to be equally puzzled by the strange phenomenon. Leaving his chair, he headed for the closest window and looked out.

The stars were gone. Harry watched as thick, dark clouds slowly obliterated what was left of the moon. There was a flash of light among the clouds, and a split second later, the boom of thunder echoed through the halls, accompanied by some panicked shrieks.

Caleb skidded next to him, looking worriedly out at the night sky, which was getting progressively darker.

"I take it it isn't supposed to be the rainy season?" Harry said dryly.

Caleb shook his head in the negative as other people started migrating to the windows to see what was going on. Harry pursed his lips as he looked back out, trying to make sense of it all. he could feel magic getting thicker in the air, and knew what was happening was _far_ from natural. Around them, other magic users apparently sensitive enough to tell the difference were gripping their staffs, wands, swords, amulets and other trinkets worriedly. Harry got the feeling they'd be needing them soon.

Even as he reached into his coat to ease out his wand, something out the window caught his eye. "Hey, the city is on fire!"

At this, there was a collective gasp as people pressed their faces or whatever body part they housed their optical detection organs in against the windows. From where he was, Harry could clearly see that parts of Corundus was glowing brighter than it ought to. He gathered magic into his eyes, casting his gaze far. A building leapt into his vision, and he could clearly see flames licking out from the upper windows. Worse still, he could make out silhouettes of things that were definitely _not_ human, if the way they were down on all four limbs, had dark wings and would occasionally breath fire, lightning, or a thick, smoking liquid that might have been acid was any indicator. Even as he watched, a human shape with a sword engaged on of the shapes, even as another was seemingly batted aside. Harry could see the blood…

"Something's happening out there," he reported for anyone who cared to hear. "Something's attacking people. Corundus is under attack!"

A dark flicker was all the warning Harry had before he let go, returning his eyes to normal as he suddenly jumped back from the window, using his magic to push back the people behind him and pulling as many people away from nearby windows as possible. "INCOMING!" he yelled just as the window shattered, and a dark shape with four legs came crashing through.

All around the room, the sound of breaking glass echoed as other _things_ broke through. Some of those Harry hadn't been able to pull away cried out in pain as glass and claws cut into them in cascades of blood, ichor and other assorted bodily fluids.

"PRINCESS!" he heard Caleb cry as the man rushed to return to his monarch's side, his cry mixing with those of others as retinue's either panicked or tried to protect their representative.

As Harry cast out his right hand in a wide arc, sending razor-sharp shards of ice flying and tearing into _things_, he took a moment to blame Caleb for all this. _This_ is what happened when you jinxed something…!

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– **To be continued…**

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A/N: hmm, cliffie. You know, if I were any other writer, this would be where I stop working on the fic indefinitely…

But since I'm not, expect an update soon.

Please review, C&C welcome. I'm a review hog, so the more, the merrier!

Until next time, this is Shadow, signing off.


	13. Chaos and Bhakhurha!

A/N: Here we go! Harry kicks a lot of ass, I rip-off a well-liked character, everyone gets some action time and go way over their heads!

And sorry to the one who sent me the PM, but I _like_ my (makes a limp-wristed gesture) Cornelia. Just don't focus on it, and it'll disappear…

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Harry Potter: Keeper of the Dark Heart

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 13: Chaos and Bhakhurha!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, which belongs to J.K. Rowling, or W.I.T.C.H., which belongs (I think) to Disney and some European lady. This is based on the comic book version of W.I.T.C.H., not the cartoon version, or the kiddy book version. I ask any relatives reading this to never bring it up in my presence or I will cut you off from my will. Anything else that looks even remotely familiar is inspired by properties that don't belong to me.

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Harry cast out his right hand in a wide arc, sending razor-sharp shards of ice flying and tearing into _things._ The shards imbedded themselves into his targets, monstrous, four-legged, acid spewing, fire breathing, lightning blasting monstrosities that looked like they stepped out of a Final Fantasy game.

All around him, assorted magic-users and all kinds of knight-types were sending out death and pulling out weapons to deal with the party crashers. Others weren't so lucky. Even as Harry tried to Diamond Dust a path through the things, some of those who hadn't been able to step away from the windows were torn to death by the creatures. Everywhere, monsters roared, men, women and unfortunate children shrieked, and chaos ruled.

Harry decided to make sure it didn't rule for long.

_Taranee! Hay Lin!_ he cried telepathically as he thrust a Frost Rasengan into the chest of one of the black four-legged creatures, resulting in it's freezing over completely even as it was torn apart by the force of the pseudo-_jutsu_. _Help Caleb get Elyon out of here! Try and stick with the **Haligi**! In fact, stick with him all the way! I'm getting the feeling_, he said sarcastically,_ that these things are after him!_

He felt a mental affirmative from the Fire Guardian and spared a moment to glance in their general direction, barely avoiding getting a hole torn in his back. A burst of fire, and the sword-wielding Neo-Heartless look-alike was no longer a problem. _Will! Irma! Cornelia! Cassidy! Stick together and try to get to where I am! We need to get organized if we want even a prayer of pushing back these things!_

He could feel their fear through the bond. In the past, all they'd gone up against were piddling little guards and maybe an Annihilator of Phobos's. _These_ were things that couldn't be stopped by something as childish as blasting a hole in the ground. To hold off against these things, they'd need (as Kakashi put it) to fight with intent to kill!

_Cassidy. Keep those girls alive. Show them how it's done,_ he sent her privately, hoping she'd manage.

I'll do my best… 

Fiery pain lancing through his side made Harry lose the connection as one of the beasts managed to claw his side, drawing blood. Immediately, they were on him like sharks, circling and pushing against one another. Raising one hand to his side to staunch the blood-flow and at the same time speed up the healing, Harry growled as his other hand glowed. "SUN BURST!" he cried, slamming it into the ground and burning the beasts stupid enough to be too close to a crisp as the others were thrown back smoldering.

Even as the beasts were sent flying away from him, he cast his gaze around the room. Already, many had fallen, lying still on the ground or moaning in pain. Some were lucky; the beasts didn't bother with them, too busy going after the ones who were fighting back. Others weren't as fortunate, being ripped apart where they lay, despite efforts to try and defend them.

They all needed breathing room, or else it was only a matter of time before they were overrun by shear numbers. Quickly, Harry forged a solid shield of ice around him, holding the beasts back as he concentrated on his spell. The hair on the back of his neck prickled as the static discharge built up in the air. "LORD OF VERMILLION!"

A magic circle spread out over the ground as mini-bolts of lightning shot down from the ceiling, striking the beasts and over and over again, knocking them into the ground and letting their opponents either finish them off in their moment of weakness or step back and gain a little breathing room.

Harry blew his shields apart, using the shards to strike as many of the things dead as he could reach. Taking a quick look around, Harry shielded as many fallen as he could, setting minor healing and life-support spells within the barriers to try and keep them alive. "GIRLS, I COULD REALLY USE SOME HELP OVER HERE!" he cried as he noticed more of the creatures climbing in through the windows and that some of those who'd been stunned by his Lord of Vermillion spell starting to get back on their feet.

Growling slightly under his breath, wondering why he and the girls always got bad luck like this, he gathered ice around his left arm, covering it in frozen matter and effectively turning it into a giant icicle lance/sword. Close range weapon, check. He raised his other hand. "SAGITTA MAGICA! NINETY-NINE ARROWS OF ICE!"

All ninety-nine impacted dark things, ripping messy holes into them as Harry spun, cutting the thing that had been sneaking up on him in half…

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Taranee, Caleb and Elyon ran, trying to stay as close to the _Haligi _and his two companions as they could. Above them, Hay Lin provided air cover, looking out for those dark things that had come crashing into the party. Surprisingly, after fighting their way out of the room, the monsters had become surprisingly scarce.

The Guardians liked it that way.

"This way, your highness," that Lanphere lady said, leading Emerous into yet another hallway and towards yet another flight of stairs. She turned slightly, looking at Elyon. "Lady Elyon, I do not wish to impose, but would you please stay close to the prince? Should these foul things overrun us, you would be able to protect him as well as yourself."

Elyon nodded, moving closer to the prince. She smiled at him reassuringly. "Don't worry. I'm sure the Guardians are taking care of things even as we speak."

A ghost of a smile flickered on the prince's face, before becoming serene once more. "I am not worried. Even without the Guardians of Kandrakar, I have faith in Lanphere and Clef. They will protect us."

"Your belief in us gives us confidence, your highness," Lanphere said, her face and voice conveying none of the warmth or sarcasm that would usually accompany the words.

Caleb couldn't help but shudder as they rounded yet another corner. What an ice queen…

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"Nice of you to finally drop by," Harry said curtly as he neatly eviscerated another sword-wielding black thing with his left hand while simultaneously pulling a hoard of the four-legged ones off a group who were about to be overrun. The hoard was instantly pin cushioned with a quick _Sensatsu Suisho_ to put them down.

"Sorry, traffic was horrible," Irma said, equally crabby as she blasted another creature off it's feet for Cassidy to burn.

Harry quickly scanned the girls with his senses, foregoing the link since it would take too much of his concentration. They seemed relatively fine, although Cassidy's body was sporting several new gouges and her clothes were torn in places. Cornelia only looked like she was having a bad hair day.

"So," Will said as she blasted the creatures away and falling back to back with the others unconsciously, "any bright ideas?"

Harry created a wall of ice in front of him, blocking an initial mass jump attack, before shattering the barrier and using it's shards to kill anything that was standing on the other side. "We need to get everyone organized. At this rate, the way everyone is fighting and the with monsters still pouring in from the windows," so reminded, Harry placed ice barriers in front off as many of the windows as he could, but he knew they wouldn't last that long; the things had breath weapons, after all, "they'll eventually overrun us by sheer force of numbers."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Cassidy said as she sent fire swirling randomly around them, trying to deter their opponents.

"No idea," Harry said. When they glared at him, he raised an eyebrow. "What? Thinking isn't my strong suit. I'm more of a 'blast things with magic and have fun' kind of guy."

"Lead by example?" Will suggested before Irma could retort or Cornelia could say anything scathing.

Harry frowned, then nodded. "Works for me. Stick together and start moving toward that group over there."

Slowly, the three– technically four– Guardians and one Dark Keeper began to move cross the wet floor, slick with the blood of the fallen and whatever fluids leaked out of the dark things, not to mention melt water from the ice he'd been throwing. Now that he had a little breathing room with the Guardians watching his back, Harry finally noticed something that had been bothering him for while now: the things didn't leave corpses. Impaling one to the floor with his icicle, he watched as it twitched, before going stiff and dissolving in a black swirl.

_These things are made of magic,_ he realized, pulling out his arm and returning to watching his side of the formation as they reached the group nearest to them, haggard looking bunch who'd been dressed in finery at the beginning of the feast, but were now looking like something out of a rag bin. The swords they had weren't for show, however– the ones that had _that_ were already dead, unless they had a magic user in their group that was really good– and they were busily trying to protect an old man who stood roughly in the center of their formation.

_Show time,_ Harry thought with a grin. It was time to do what he did best with the Dark Heart: show off with style!

Creating a wall of ice on his side to protect their flank, he flipped over both groups, landing on the other side of the old man's retinue. He twirled as he landed, sending out icicles flying in a rain.

He was very much surprised when the icicles simply bounced off or became stuck in the creatures' skins. "What the heck…!" he said, switching to lightning. "PLASMA CLOUD!"

That did the trick, although Harry had to be extra careful to keep the electricity from traveling along the wet floor and frying them. The smoldering bodies, struck by a spell more powerful than Vermillion, fell to the ground, before slowly dissolving. Harry looked over his shoulder as he raised another ice barrier in front of him, making sure his hair shadowed his eyes dramatically. "Are you people all right?"

While the sword-wielders watched him warily, the old man managed a bow. "Yes. Thank you."

Harry waved his hand, as if it were nothing. "No problem. If we plan on getting out of this alive, we need to stick together. Uh, Cassidy?"

Cassidy spun, barely managing to push back the creatures at her end with her flames before Harry's icicles struck them with more force than usual. Harry pursed his lips thoughtfully as some penetrated while others became lodged.

"Losing your touch, Keeper?" Cassidy said as Harry formed walls around them, letting the soldiers catch their breaths. Will and Irma kept sending blasts over the walls, the Water Guardian using the little water on the flow to their advantage by making the beasts slip.

Harry shook his head as he concentrated, creating Astral Drones who started going quickly among the soldiers, healing wounds with magic under his direction. "Hardly. These things are adapting. They're starting be heavily armored."

"These things are getting tougher?" Irma exclaimed.

Harry nodded grimly, his face set. The soldiers drew back in shock and not a little trepidation as Harry's black eyes, no longer shaded for dramatic effect, became visible to all. "These things are magic constructs, just like my Astral Drones or your Astral Drops. I'm willing to bet that whoever's directing them– and they _are_ being directed– decided to toughen them up."

"So who's directing them?" Cassidy asked, taking a breather from mindless blasting.

Harry shrugged. "No idea."

The Guardians stared at him.

"What? I haven't exactly had time to look around!"

But now that they mentioned it…

Harry made a snap decision. "Will, Cass, stick to the plan. Try to gather as many people together as possible. I set my ice so you can break it from the inside when you're ready to fight again. I'm off."

"Where are you going?" Cornelia demanded, glaring at the perceived betrayal.

"These are just puppets. I'm going to look for the puppet master," Harry said, before flipping over his barrier and launching himself back into the fray, sending out bolts of lightning to counteract the thicker skin of his targets.

"Who was that?" he heard the old man ask.

"The Keeper of the Dark Heart," Cassidy said simply.

"**_WHAT?_**" was the exclamation he heard behind him as he proceeded to cut a swath through the enemy…

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"In here, quickly," Clef said, watching as many directions as he could while he waved Emerous, the Guardians, Caleb and Elyon inside. Lanphere had already gone in, and was diligently searching the room. Caleb could feel her magic as she scanned for anything that wasn't supposed to be there.

The ex-Whisperer turned Rebel hero ushered the two royals as respectfully as he could wishing he'd taken up Keeper's offer of a sword when he'd had the chance. While he could feel the power of his copy of the powers inside him, he really wasn't that used to magic, preferring to fight with a sword. It was more straightforward.

"Where are we?" Taranee said, asking the obvious question as they took in the wide, spacious chamber.

"My quarters," Emerous said as he followed Lanphere towards a symbol-inscribed circle on the floor in the center of the room. "It the most protected place in the castle."

"Logical," Caleb said, eyes darting towards the wide, three-story tall windows, whose curtains were fluttering in the night air. From bellow, he could make out faint screams and cries, but it sounded distant and unreal, nothing to do with them. With his magic, he felt rather than saw the protective field preventing entry through that opening.

Clef closed the door behind them, before raising his hand and sealing it in the same manner in which the window was magically protected. "If you will step back Guardians, Lady Elyon, we will begin the final measures in defense of the prince."

As he shooed them away from the circle Emerous was standing calmly in, Lanphere said, "Clef, perhaps you should perform the first part of the Protection by yourself. One of us should be on hand to protect the prince and the other should the beasts manage to pierce our defenses."

Clef nodded in silent agreement, before raising his hands and pointing his staff at the prince. Immediately, the circle that the prince was standing in began to glow, and symbols began to trace themselves both inside and outside the circle.

"What's happening?" Hay Lin asked as she settled back to ground level.

"Clef is casting the first part of the spell needed to send the prince to a protected space, where no force on Efhirozay can reach him," Lanphere explained blandly, casting her eyes about the room, as if something would appear if she didn't look. "Normally, the two of us would cast it together, but as I said, it is best there is at least one protection."

"But we could do that!" Hay Lin said.

Lanphere turned her aristocratic, imperious gaze upon the purple haired girl, who gulped, suddenly looking very uncomfortable. "No disrespect, Guardian, but we cannot in good conscience allow the safety of the prince to reside in outsiders while we still breath."

"It's all right, Hay Lin," Caleb said, trying to reassure the Asian girl. "It's exactly the kind of thing we'd do. We in Meridian would prefer Elyon be protected by her people, and not strangers."

"You're not just saying that because you want a promotion, do you?" Elyon said coyly. "What about the Guardians? How do you feel about them protecting me?"

Caleb smiled. "They're your friends. They have the right."

"I wish the prince had friends," Lanphere said suddenly, the first traces of emotion audible in her voice. The four looked at her in surprise, while Clef seemed not to hear, too focused on his spell. "Because he is _Haligi_, he has no time for such things. They would distract him from his duty to protect and support the world."

"Then why did you say you wished he had friends?" Taranee asked, puzzled.

The _Pari'_sface seemed downcast for a moment, but it must have been a trick of the light, because the next moment, Caleb only saw a pale, imposing statue. "Because then he might have known what it was like to be a child…"

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A figure stood outside the palace, next to a tree that provided adequate cover to prevent him from being seen from inside. He seemed to be giggling as he watched creatures materialize seemingly out of the darkness before him and go pouring into the broken windows of the palace.

"I have to thank Ryuxot for his little pets," the figure said, giggling once more as he idly bounced a green pendant with a series of lines on it. "They can be _so_ entertaining."

"And who is this Ryuxot?"

The figure jumped– _away_ from him, Harry noted– moving into the light as he did so. Harry was finally able to get a good look at their mystery puppet master. He was about an inch or so taller than Harry, and looked to be in his late teens, but life seemed to have aged him earlier than it should have. Pale white hair in a spiky mess on his head tumbled down his back past his shoulder blades and a scar was visible passing through his right eye. His clothing was loose, with only a vest, baggy pants, soft shoes, a sash around his waist, along with a multi-pouched belt and twin bandolier. A plain black dagger was stuck into his sash at the back, which he was currently reaching for.

"YOU!" he hissed, even as black _things_ started materializing behind him.

"_Moi_," Harry said, bowing in an exaggerated fashion. "Even though I'm not really sure you know who I am. I _am_, however, giving you one warning: dissolve those things, all others you're controlling and turn yourself in, and I won't beat the living daylights out of you for endangering people."

For an answer, the figure pulled a small, stoppered vial containing a yellow liquid. Harry blinked as a small amount of magic reached into the vial, before the potion inside it seemed to activate, and a multi-branched, pure white stream of electricity streaked towards Harry.

The figure laughed as the lightning struck, sending out clouds of dust and shockwaves as the sound barrier cracked with each impact. He laughed until the dust cleared, revealing Harry standing there behind a black barrier with his hands in his ears. That shut him up pretty quick.

"I'll take that as a no," Harry said, sticking his little finger into his ear to try and clear it.

Growling, the figure pointed at Harry with his dagger. "KILL HIM!"

The _things_ behind him growled, before launching themselves over their master and charging at Harry.

Harry held up a hand, where a pale blue sphere was swirling and giving off a light mist. "_Frost Rasengan!_" he cried, throwing it at the nearest target, which promptly froze, before being sent spinning and breaking apart into a million sharp pieces at those next to him. Moving into the space made by the destroyed target, Harry spun on his heel. "_Frost Kaiten!_"

Cold mist blew out in all directions as his spin quickly cut through the attempted dog pile. The icicle on his arm helped quite nicely, meaning he didn't have to break his hands beating on the things.

The pale-haired puppeteer spat as Harry slowed, drawing his dagger. "Worthless."

That was all the warning Harry had as he stopped his spin, only to find himself under attack. The breath was knocked out of him as he was tackled, knocking him to the ground. Harry tried to push him off, having trouble because of the icicle weapon on his left arm, but before he could get his good hand to bear, he felt something cold pass over his throat, and a warm wetness began to flow down his neck. Trying to cry out only led to a gurgling sound in his throat as his ruined windpipe filled with blood. Before he could react, and sharp, thrusting pain pushed itself in his belly, and he looked down in time to see his opponent pulling out a black dagger from his gut.

"Heh. See if your fancy tricks get you out of that, mage," he heard, even as Harry began to choke on his own blood…

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The thief idly licked his knife, savoring the taste of blood as he got to his feet and turning away from the fallen body of his latest kill. Mages. No challenge what so ever. If they can't use any of their fancy shmancy spells, they're as easy to kill as the next piece of…

"Sorry to disappoint you," a weak, hoarse voice behind him said, causing him to pause at turn, brown eyes wide with shock.

The annoying mage who'd been throwing around ice and taking down so many of Ryuxot's pets was back on his feet, one hand covering his ruined throat as that icicle he was wearing on his arm began to melt. Feet dragging slightly, the mage stepped into the semi-light from the palace and the flames burning the city. The thief's eyes widened, and only his years of iron hard control kept him from reacting as he saw the mage's starry black eyes.

The mage grinned in a very disturbing way, especially with all the blood flowing down his front. "I'm not that easy to kill," he said. His hand glowed slightly, before coming down from his torn neck. Even as the thief watched, the ruined flesh began to knit itself, closing and sealing in the blood. A negligent wave, and suddenly the blood was gone.

The thief's eyes narrowed, raising his dagger in a guard position as his other hand slid down to his numerous belt pouches. So, this one had surprises up his sleeves. "That's okay. I like a challenge."

Pulling out several catalyst potions, the thief thrust a miniscule amount of his magic into each, allowing him to send magical death towards his enemy…

At least, that _was_ the plan.

The thief suddenly felt a fist strike his face, sending him tumbling back as the arm holding his catalyst was kicked to one side and causing his spells to go wild. He had no time to recover as he felt his feet being swept of from under him. Reacting with instincts that were first nature, he rolled with the fall, lashing out with his dagger, only to be kicked in the face.

Even as his body rolled with the impact again, his other hand was already reaching for a vial of white liquid. Rolling to his feet, he activated the healing catalyst as he spun to face the mage.

The mage just stood there, holding another swirling blue sphere in his hand as his coat fluttered in the wind.

The thief chuckled darkly, even as he wiped the trickle of blood running down the corner of his mouth. "I'm impressed, mage. It's rare of your kind to take the trouble to get your hands dirty. This is going to be interesting."

"I didn't come for interesting. I came to deactivate that little trinket of yours," the mage said.

The thief grinned, widely and insanely, as he felt Ryuxot's pendant still working it's magic. "Come and get it, mage," he said, pulling out a series of catalyst potions in one hand as he raised his dagger with the other. "Face the Thief Prince Bhakhurha!"

The mage raised an eyebrow, before inclining his head slightly. "Nice to meet you, Bhakhurha. I am the Keeper of the Dark Heart."

Bhakhurha's blood went cold as he heard those words, before a snarl pushed back the fear that had risen a moment before. Obviously a lie. The Keeper of the Dark Heart was just a story!

Wasn't it…?

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Cornelia wiped the sweat off her face with one hand, struggling to keep her hair out of her eyes as the Earth Guardian sent forth another blast of magic. After the first group they'd joined up with, they'd slowly managed to gather the other retinues. Although there were technically too many people for any one person to command, each group supported each other, knowing that cooperating together was the only way to survive.

Some of the other groups hadn't been so lucky. Prideful idiots had spurned their assistance, insisting to fight alone even as they were cut down one by one. That had made her sick to her stomach. So much blood…

Cornelia was shaken from her dark thoughts as she felt a refreshing warmth flow through her body. It wasn't much, really, just a trickle, but it bought her mind back to the present and drained some of the ache in her body. They were lucky that some of the magic-users they'd hooked up with could heal. Keeper's Astral Drones had run out some time ago.

Cornelia had been fighting on autopilot for some time before she realized that the monsters seemed to be getting easier to beat back. At first, she said nothing about it, thinking she was mistaken, but when one of the swordsmen cried that their armor was gone, she knew she wasn't imagining it. A ragged cheer went up as they realized that the _things_ were back to about the same level they'd been when they first broke through the windows. Granted, that wasn't much, but it bore semblance of victory. Anything like that was good.

She didn't realize how hot she was getting until Irma suddenly doused her with her power. She turned to look at the brown haired Guardian, but said nothing, suddenly realizing suddenly how tired she was. Trying to push back those thoughts, she redoubled her efforts, sending shockwaves under the creatures' feet, even as she wished that one of the healers sent something stronger to refresh her again…

There was a loud crash as a portion of the palace wall suddenly exploded inward in a shower of dust and lightning, drawing everyone's attention. A pale-haired, ruggedly good looking male was already rolling out of the cloud of particles, sending a flash of fire in front of him towards…

"KEEPER!" Cassidy cried.

The Keeper of the Dark Heart raised his hand and a blast of white mist met the flame, instantly causing a wind to rise as the two spells met. The next thing Cornelia knew, a geyser of water shot out of the mixing attacks, striking the pale-haired male in the chest and sending him tumbling back a few feet, sliding along the already wet floor on his back.

"Much as I like exercising my magic, Bhakhurha," Keeper said, stepping lightly on the wet floor and seemingly ignoring the monsters in the room except when one made the mistake of harassing him– in which case they fell under a hail of icicles– as he walked slowly and impressively towards his enemy, "this is going on for too long. Since you don't seem to want to give up your little toy, I'm going to have to beat it out of you."

At the next step, he was darting forwards, body low on the ground as icicles appeared on both his arms. Crossing the two blades in front of him, he spun just as he got within range of Bhakhurha, who was barely able to block the first cut with his dagger. The second icicle cut into his arm as…

"CORNELIA, WATCH OUT!"

Cornelia was jerked out of watching the fight as Irma pushed her to one side, sending them both toppling to the ground as one of the four-legged things flew through where the blonde had been standing, claws extended. Will was able to turn around in time to blast the thing out of the air, and Cornelia hurriedly added her power to the strike, keeping Irma down to keep her from being hit by the crossfire. One of the fighters they'd picked up kicked the thing back outside their formation. Will gave a quick thanks as Cassidy turned her power to bear.

"Um, Irma? Not that I'm not grateful or anything, and having you on top of me is kind of nice, but would you please get off?" Cornelia said. "We kind of have a situation."

Irma pulled back quickly, mock-pouting at her. "See if I ever save _you_ from an evil monster thingy again."

Cornelia allowed herself a quick smile at the joke, and was further amused at the speed Irma had gotten off her. Sure, the girl was cute, but she really wasn't her ty– !

Shaking her head furiously out of that line of thought– Caleb! Caleb!– Cornelia went back to blasting monsters and trying to ignore the sounds of Keeper fighting…

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Harry pushed aside his amusement at Cornelia's thoughts, focusing on his target. Granted, the mental conniptions the Earth Guardian was going through were amusing, but he'd giggle insanely about it later when he'd beaten Bhakhurha's face in.

"_Raikiri!_" Harry cried, thrusting his crackling hand into the ground in front of the thief deliberately, exposing his neck to the dagger. The mild poison on the blade was nowhere _near_ what the Basilisk had pumped into his system, so he wasn't _too_ worried, but if it cut his spine…

The ground exploded, sending a shockwave rippling outward from ground zero as shards of rock went flying. Bhakhurha shielded his face, trying to get his dagger to bear as his hand reached for yet another of his vials. Seriously, how many of those things did he carry? He'd thrown, what, a hundred of those things and he was still pulling things out of those teeny tiny pouches!

Planting his hand securely on the ground, Harry snapped his feet up and over in an arc, kicking the thief's face and knocking him back. Grabbing his wrist with his other hand, Harry twisted, sending a miniscule spark of electricity into his nervous system. Bhakhurha's fingers spasmed, causing him to drop his knife as Harry fell back on his feet. Still holding the thief's hand, Harry slammed his foot squarely into the man's chest, and heard something break. After countless generations of Dark Keepers, the Dark Heart had collected an impressive array of fighting skills.

Tossing the dagger to one side–all right, actually, he through it into the nearest monster's brain– he grabbed the catalyst vial out of Bhakhurha's hand as he ripped the pouches the thief was carrying with his magic, slamming the thief into the nearest wall. "Stay," Harry commanded, waving his hand behind him and causing multiple icicle spikes to sprout from the ground and impale the bunch of monsters that were about to jump them. The icicles solidified into a wall of ice as Harry started to riffling through the pouches in his hands. "Come on, come on, where– AH!"

Harry's cry was pained as he dropped the pouches, which were crackling and burning with white fire and lightning. Plastered on the wall, Bhakhurha giggled, sounding almost as insane as Harry sometimes did.

"Do you take me for a fool?" he said, laughing down at Harry. "I'm a thief. There's no one else who knows how to keep his things from being messed with than a thief."

"Where is it?" Harry demanded, getting ready to push his mind into Bhakhurha's.

"Wouldn't you like to know, _Keeper of the Dark Heart,_" Bhakhurha sneered, spitting in his face. Harry barely managed to shield himself and his dignity.

"Fine," Harry said, tilting his head to one side as he got ready to bring his power to bear. "Your headache. MIND–"

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Taranee compressed her lips into a thin line for the nth time as worry gnawed on her stomach. Clef was still doing whatever spell he was doing, while Caleb was pacing, his head alternating from being bowed down deep in thought and darting around as if worried the monsters would appear out of nowhere. Hay Lin was fidgeting, obviously uncomfortable with the heavy silence that kept getting broken by the sounds of the chaos below. Elyon stood more patiently, as befitting a Princes and Queen-in-all-but-name, but her eyes showed she wasn't as serene as she looked. And Lanphere… she was still cold as ice, standing next to Clef as she held her own staff.

The silent tension in the chamber was broken as Clef suddenly trembled, and the light of the circle flared for a moment before returning to it's normal glow. Clef's knees trembled, and the _Salamangkero_ collapsed to the floor, barely managing to catch himself on his staff. Within the circle, the _Haligi_ was looking rather washed out. Taranee blinked, looking closer. He was almost transparent!

Breathing hoarsely, Clef struggled to his feet. Hay Lin was instantly by his side, glad for something to do as she helped the magic user stand. Since the man was so much taller than her, she made a passable cane. "It is done, Lanphere," Clef said, his voice weak and strained. "Give me a few moments to regain my strength, and then it will be your turn."

Lanphere turned towards Clef, and Taranee saw something that made her blood run cold, for all the heat her magic always made her feel. She would later wonder if her telepathy had picked up anything of the other woman's intentions, or if it was just intuition, or maybe it was something else. Regardless, what Taranee saw scared her.

Lanphere was smiling. "I do not believe so, Clef," she said. Spinning her staff suddenly, she pointed it at Clef and Hay Lin, and a burst of brightly colored magic flew out. Hay Lin pushed Clef to the side, only to be caught by the full force of the blast. A sharp cry, quickly cut off, was the only sound the Guardian was able to make as she was knocked back several feet and landed unconscious on the floor.

"Hay Lin!" Taranee and Elyon exclaimed. Caleb didn't bother to mince words, charging at Lanphere with his hand raised. A multi-colored jet of energy flew at the _Pari_, who batted it aside almost contemptuously, before waving her hand and sending another pink blast towards the ex-Whisperer. Caleb, unable to react in time, was thrown back and quickly joined Hay Lin in the land of the unconscious.

Not understanding what was happening but recognizing the black-clad woman before her as a threat, Taranee went into action. Moving between Lanphere and Elyon as the latter ran to check on Caleb, Taranee raised her hands, sending forth her fiery blasts, her face set into a determined mask. The fire in her eyes match the ones in her hands as her flames, much, much more powerful than Cassidy's, streaked towards the woman.

Lanphere held her staff before her, casting a shield to catch the pure magic of Taranee's blasts as well as diverting the fire around her. The impact on the shield caused the _Pari_ to stumble back, before her eyes narrowed in concentration and she strengthened her shield. "Is that the best you can do, Guardian of Kandrakar?" she said conversationally, before something streaked out from the midst of Taranee's attack, striking the dark-skinned girl in the chest and knocking the wind out of her. A sharp pain suddenly made itself known to Taranee's head and back as she fell to the floor, dizzy, head aching, but still conscious.

"ENOUGH!" she heard Elyon cry, and saw a bright light through her eyelids. Taranee smiled. Elyon could still win. She could…

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Elyon looked up from Hay Lin only to see get knocked down, landing next to Caleb. The sight fueled the young girls anger. First Hay Lin, then Caleb, and now Taranee…!

"ENOUGH!" she cried, reaching deep inside herself for her birthright as the Light of Meridian. The Crown of Light shone on her brow as her eyes glowed. "NO ONE HURTS MY FRIENDS!"

Elyon let loose her fury, sending a beam of pure light from her hands towards Lanphere. The _Pari_ tried to shield herself once more, but the force of Elyon's strike tore through the pink barrier, knocking the woman back as the ground tore and cracked beneath the stream of magic.

Raising her hand above her head, Elyon swept it down in a claw-like gesture, using her power to tear off a section of the roof and slam it into the black-clad woman, who was barely able to destroy the chunk with her own powers. Elyon didn't relent however, sending out blast after blast as she began to float using the room to her advantage as she ripped out and hurled anything she could get her magic around at her enemy. Cedric might have been an evil snake manipulating her for her brother's less than brotherly ends, but he'd taught her well when it came to using her magic to attack. And with the Crown of Light drawing out and focusing her magic, she was fighting at her peak!

Then Murphy decided to butt in.

Clef slowly struggled to his feet, still not fully recovered from the protection spell he had needed to cast. Lanphere saw him, deflecting Elyon's blasts and dodging others as she suddenly disappeared, only to reappear next to the fallen mage. Pointing the end of her staff at his back, Lanphere flung him at Elyon, who was barely able to stop herself from accidentally obliterating the weakened magic-user. She tried to use her powers to slow the man down, but wasn't able to bring it to bear in time, and ended up being knocked out of the air.

Even as she tried get back in the fight, Elyon suddenly felt a presence behind her. Before she could turn around however, she felt a cool hand on her head, and her mind exploded in pain as she felt _something_ being ripped out of her…

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"MIND RIPPE–" Harry suddenly cut off as he felt Hay Lin fall unconscious, and confusion, anger and determination flooded through Taranee. Ignoring the self-proclaimed Thief Prince still pinned to the wall, Harry concentrate through the link, seeing what Taranee saw…

With a strangled cry of frustration, Harry grabbed Bhakhurha by the neck and suddenly teleported close to where the Guardians were fighting. Ruthlessly, he focused his magic on the man's legs as he slammed him face-first into the ground in full view of several surprised people, the Guardians included. There was a wet, sickening sound as both of the thief's legs broke. Harry was slightly impressed when all that came out of his mouth was a barely audible grunt. His respect for the man went up a notch.

Planting his foot squarely on Bhakhurha's back, Harry looked up, and many of those with the Guardians recoiled as they saw his eyes. "Watch this man, and if you can, break him," Harry said calmly as he waved behind him, producing several crackling balls of lightning that immediately fried the monsters there. He immediately set up yet another wall of ice. "He's the one controlling these creatures. Don't let him out of you sight. I need to go."

"Oh, where are you going _NOW?_" Cassidy demanded.

"The others are in trouble," was all Harry said, before teleporting in a veil of black mist.

There was a moment of disorientation before Harry suddenly found himself standing before a huge set of double doors. He raised his hand to touch the door, and was immediately repulsed. Looks like he'd guessed right. The room was magically warded against entry. Sure, he could break through it eventually, but he didn't have time: breaking a ward like that required subtlety and finesse, not exactly something quick to pull off.

Narrowing his eyes, he supposed he'd have to do it the old-fashioned way. Good. That was how he liked it. Feeling for Will, he was pleased to sense little in the way of the Heart Of Kandrakar's energy. No chance of fatal build up, then.

Concentrating, knowing that time was of the essence, he materialized the Dark Heart in his hand, momentarily reveling in the coolness of it. Floating back, he held the Dark Heart out in front of him. "Legacy of Kin Xia, OPEN THIS DOOR!"

Harry felt colder than absolute zero as darkness built up before the Heart, only to be unleashed in a torrent of stygian power that struck against the warded door, which proved to be no match for the force of dark infinity. Lightning-like energy crackled before the portal, and the warding around the whole room fell apart in an explosion of magic. Harry shielded his eyes momentarily from the flying debris caused by the collapse of the protection field, before conjuring a set of goggles. Flying through towards the slightly worse-for-wear doors, he blasted them apart with a thought, pausing a few meters from the threshold as he took in the scene. Caleb, Hay Lin and Taranee were on the ground unconscious. Elyon was a few meters away, also down. Judging from the feel of the magic in the air, she was responsible for the rather messy redecoration.

His eyes zeroed in on the woman he knew was the cause of this. The _Pari_ was standing next to the circle that contained Emerous, who was pressing transparent hands against the invisible barrier created by the circle. She was holding a small, white-clad figure by the neck, obviously draining magic from him even without Harry's Dark Heart senses. She let the figure go, sending him crashing to the ground, as she heard Harry break into the room.

It took Harry a moment to recognize the smaller, seemingly child-like form in the now too-big robes, and when he did, he actually blinked. Clef was disturbingly cute as a little kid of about eight…

Pushing away that little distraction, Harry turned to face the object of his fury. "WHAT THE HECK TO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Lanphere turned to look at him coolly, a queen pronouncing judgment as she ignored the prince behind his barrier. "Keeper of the Dark Heart. This is none of your business, Destroyer."

"You hurt my companions," Harry said, a Frost Rasengan building in his hand. "That's not something I tend to ignore. _You're_ involved in this madness?"

"This is not madness," the _Pari_ said, turning away and raising her staff before the prince's circle. "This is justice. Inola, deal with him."

Even as she spoke, the air rippled, and tall, narrow-faced woman who vaguely resembled a fox in a neat, utilitarian white uniform appeared between Harry and his target. "As you order, Lady Lanphere."

Harry stamped down on the urge to sigh. First that Bhakhurha character, then whoever this was! He was getting really annoyed about all the people he was needing to fight.

Even as his more emotional aspects raged at the inconvenience, a more practical side of him took notes. This Inola had bright orange hair, more vibrant than even Ron's. her eyes were narrow and intelligent–and red, he was surprised to note, red and slitted, looking disturbingly like Voldemort's. She had a tremendous amount of power in her, and there was something else about her too, something that felt off…

Shoving those observations aside for later, Harry decided he didn't want to play this game. "_OH_ no, I am in no mood to play around with your flunky, missy!" he cried, teleporting to the opposite end of the room and darting straight towards Lanphere, who had started gathering magic and the moment Inola had appeared.

There was a blur, and Harry suddenly found himself face-to-face with the red-head. He thrust her to the side, but to his surprise, she grabbed his wrist and the Dark Keeper abruptly found himself being spun around. The breath was knocked out of him as a knee connected with is gut. An elbow slammed into the back of his head, causing him to fall to the ground.

Cursing the fact that every local he seemed to meet turned out to be some kind of super-fighter, Harry sent out a burst of energy in all directions, throwing the fox-faced annoyance off him. Quickly flipping to his feet, Harry thrust out his hand towards her, his wand snapping into place. "_STUPEFY!_"

The jet of red magic was deflected to the side as an orange barrier snapped into place in front og his target. Harry barely held back a howl of frustration. Super-fighters _and_ magic users? What next! Sentai teams? Hentacle fiends?

"All of you have a death wish around here, don't you?" Harry growled, concentrating as he tucked his wand away. "Astral Drone!"

An Astral Drone appeared by Harry's side, looking exactly like he did– which meant _really_ annoyed. "I SUMMON BAHAMUT!"

At these words, the Drone's form shifted, elongating into one of the many forms of the King of Dragons. Black plated scales, horns, claws fangs and wings all appeared on the extension of Harry's will as Bahamut roared in challenge. Well, Harry made it roar in challenge.

Face scrunched up slightly at the multiple task of controlling his Drone, keeping it in Bahamut form and fighting, and moving and fighting with magic himself, Harry readied himself. At least it was only one Drone. The more they were and the more they were doing, the harder it was for him. "BAHAMUT! MEGA FLARE!"

Throwing back his head, the Drone roared, before a beam of energy shot out of it's mouth, striking squarely on the orange barrier. The nice thing about drones was that they could be used to channel large amounts of magic without being tired. True, Harry could do it himself, and better too, but it would tire him out faster.

Inola was smart, however, she dodged out of the way of the beam, using the time before it broke through her barrier to escape. Harry muttered something impolite in a dead Mesopotamian dialect as the red-head moved to stand next to Caleb, seeming to know that he wouldn't risk firing a wide-are destroying spell where it could hurt someone else.

"Come, Inola," he heard Lanphere command imperiously, "we are leaving."

The woman flickered, only to reappear next the black-clad woman. Harry blinked in astonishment at the speed she'd moved. He could barely perceive her! "You're not going anywhere!" he cried, launching a hail of lightning, ice and vacuum blades at the two, only to be repulsed by a combined shield of pink and orange.

Harry twitched for a moment. _PINK?_ OMG, it _is_ the color of pure evil!

"Ryuxot!" Lanphere said, and for a moment, Harry thought he was naming some kind of high-powered spell. That thought was dashed, however, when a section of the wall suddenly caved in, sending dust flying everywhere. Quickly casting a shield around the fallen, Harry added a breathing mask to his ensemble, running quickly towards where he felt the women were escaping.

"Fly, my pretty," a high-pitched, slightly childish voice cried. A thundering roar answered, so loud and sudden that Harry was shocked to a standstill, his insides shaking from a sudden primeval fear. Throwing off the moment, he ordered his Drone to flap away the dust with its wings, just as he heard a great rush of air. The dust was suddenly blown into the room as something took flight back outside, apparently carrying the women with it.

Dismissing his Drone, Harry blew away the remaining dust to give him a clear view as he took to the air. Easily finding the huge hole in the wall, Harry took towards it. His eyes suddenly seemed to go blind as the difference of light momentarily took away his vision, but he ignored it, focusing on the fell of the women he was chasing.

A low roaring sound in the air was all he warning he had to raise his shields as something about the size of a compact car suddenly collided with him, knocking him out of his course and sending him tumbling back towards the palace as it broke through his shield. Managing to catch himself, Harry turned to see what had hit him and paled.

Above him, a flight of dragons circled…

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**- To be continued...**

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A/N: any comments on my little Thief Prince? (' )

Please review, C&C welcome. I am seriously thinking of kidnapping Raven for no reason and sticking him here just to get more reviews, though. The more reviews I get, the more chances I'll drop Raven or maybe even Uzumaki in here. Of course, I could just be saying that to get you into b– I mean, to review…

Until next time, this is Shadow, signing off.


	14. Aftermath

A/N: because of a certain promise I made, I will be using new section breakers. They will be there until further notice. By the way, read '**_Harry Potter and the Collided Worlds_**' by **Sokai**, story id 2502930.

Thanks to **Cobra-100 **for the idea for Harry's first line. Oh, and to **llayo**: it's spelled with a 'K' in the original Italian and some parts of the world, such as where I'm from. Just justifying my use, although I _did_ wonder how long before someone bought it up. Special acknowledgments go to **Bob the Almighty** for being the first to mention the 'crossover'…

(Read '**_Harry Potter and the Collided Worlds_**' by **Sokai**, story id 2502930)

A low roaring sound in the air was all he warning Harry had to raise his shields as something about the size of a compact car suddenly collided with him, knocking him out of his course and sending him tumbling back towards the palace as it broke through his shield. Managing to catch himself, Harry turned to see what had hit him and paled.

Above him, a flight of dragons circled, their dark wings fading into the night skies as they flew around the tower he had just crashed into. Harry's PO level went up a couple of notches.

"That bitch," he muttered as he quickly extracted himself from the indentation on the crystal face and quickly flew to the side, avoiding another claw, "needs a Dragon Slave fired up her ass!"

Briefly, he wondered whether he should 'summon' a Blue Eyes White Dragon or a Winged Dragon of Ra, or something, but decided against it. He cracked his knuckles. Oh no, he _definitely_ wasn't summoning. After the past hour or so, he had a _lot_ of stress to get rid of, which Bhakhurha and his little puppets just weren't able to relieve. These dragons, however…

Memories of Norbert flitted through Harry's head as another dragon snapped at him, and he grinned.

Oh, this was going to be _so_ sweet…

Cold pulsed inside him, beating in time to his heart as the Dark Heart poured power into his being. The cold spread as he held out his hand, his limbs feeling numb yet not as the energy suffused him. An icy blue glow flickered into being in his open palm as he darted in the air, his senses going out in every direction as he tried to keep from being torn to shreds.

"LIC LAC LA LAC LILAC!" Harry cried, snapping an icicle as the nearest dragon with his free hand, the icicle lodging in it's skin and emitting an intense golden glow. Target Acquired.

"TO SHUMBOLION DIAKONOYO MOI, HEI KRYSTALINE BASHLEIA!"

_Upon our pact, do my bidding, O Queen of Ice!_

Most of him still concentrating on his spell, Harry shot out spark after spark of lightning, each and every one directed at the dragon he'd tagged. The sparks weren't much, but they certainly irritated the beast. It roared in frustration and annoyance, straining after Harry even as he darted with a speed and agility that would have made a fly jealous, avoiding his enraged pursuer and his kin alike as he kept out of their way, staying close to the castle wall to guard his back.

"EVIGENATO, TAIONION ELEBOS, HAIONIE KRYSTALE!"

_Come forth from the never-ending darkness, the eternal glacier, bring death to all that hast life!_

Harry suddenly dove, seeking the ground, never stopping annoying the beast behind him as he buzzed the crystalline face of the castle, trying to get below the dragons.

"VERSAIS ZOICE TON ISON TANATON, HOS ATAKSIA!"

_You are the place of eternal rest!_

Harry suddenly spun, twisting his body around to face his pursuer as he thrust out his hand, where the flickering blue flame had grown to become a glacial inferno. It lanced upwards towards the dragon, the icicle imbedded into it's skin still glowing fitfully as the magic struck.

"KOZMIKE KATAZROFE!"

_THE END OF THE WORLD!_

The magic struck dead on, the dragon not even having time to cry out as it and everything twenty feet from it– which happened to include some of it's fellows limbs– suddenly found the molecules of their body stop vibrating, their internal temperature dropping to within a few degrees of absolute zero. A perfect, crystalline sculpture hovered in the air, hanging in the sky for a split second as gravity was momentarily neutralized, before it shattered into thousands of pieces, the shards impaling those nearby and giving them an instant case of frostbite and freeze-drying.

Harry grinned evilly as the roars of pain echoed through the blackness, the Dark Heart's beating growing faster in his excitement. Oh, how he loved that spell of Evangeline's. He focused on the next dragon. "TO SHUMBOLION DIAKONOYO MOI…"

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Harry Potter: Keeper of the Dark Heart

by Shadow Crystal Mage

Chapter 14: Aftermath…

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, which belongs to J.K. Rowling, or W.I.T.C.H., which belongs (I think) to Disney and some European lady. This is based on the comic book version of W.I.T.C.H., not the cartoon version, or the kiddy book version. I ask any relatives reading this to never bring it up in my presence or I will cut you off from my will. Anything else that looks even remotely familiar is inspired by properties that don't belong to me.

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Irma dropped down to her knees as the last of the monsters finally dissolved into nothing. Around her, others were following suit, leaning on spears, swords or each other as their legs began to shake. Some feel unconscious immediately, toppling over asleep when they realized it was over. Other, more seasoned looking individuals stayed tense, weapons and spells ready in case this was a ruse to make them relax their guard.

Either way, Irma didn't care. She was too tired. Any excuse to stop was fine by her, even if the enemy popped up suddenly and chopped her head off when she wasn't looking!

Unbidden, her eyes fell on a headless corpse not so far away, and she shuddered, bile rising to her throat even as she tried to keep from barfing.

Okay, maybe not.

The reality of the past few hours finally hit the girl, and she closed her eyes, hands clasped firmly over her mouth. She'd nearly been killed. Repeatedly. She'd seen others getting killed around her. Repeatedly.

Irma Lair was now officially one-third of the way to losing her innocence.

She felt something touch her thigh, and a concerned voice said, "Hey, keep it together Lair. You do _not_ want to get sick here."

Blearily, she opened her eyes, her gaze falling on the concerned wooden face of Cassidy. The miniature Guardian outfit was ripped and singed in places. Had she had a real human body, what was left of what she was wearing wouldn't be considered decent.

Before Irma could respond with anything other than a retch, they heard another cry of "KOZMIKE KATAZROFE!" echo above them, followed by a quickly cut-off cry, and then multiple impacts hitting the ground. Silence.

Cassidy sighed. "Well, I guess Keeper's done up there."

"What was he fighting, anyway?" Irma finally managed to say. "Dragons?"

Cassidy did her semblance of a smile. "Probably."

The two shared a weak laugh at the thought, relieving the tension just the tiniest bit.

"Don't tell me you two are about to crack already," Cornelia said as she came towards them, her footing slightly unsteady, her eyes not quite focused. Behind her came Will, who was looking a bit green as she surveyed the damage around them.

Cassidy blinked. "Cornelia, are you all right?"

The blonde waved a hand lazily, her eyes slightly glazed. "Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

Cassidy nodded, then pulled on the leg of the nearest soldier, who gave a start as he looked down on the wooden doll. "Excuse me, but could you do me a favor?" Cassidy said, motioning for him to lean down. Quickly, she whispered something in his ear.

Blinking in confusion, the man nodded. Before anyone could react, he moved behind Cornelia and clubbed her on the head with the butt of his sword, instantly knocking her out.

"Thank you," Cassidy said as Will reached to support Cornelia on instinct, bearing the weight of the taller girl on her shoulder. Cassidy then turned to the Keeper of the Heart and said matter-of-factly, "She was in shock. If we hadn't had her knocked out, she might have gone nuts or something."

"Oh," was all Will said, looking dead on her feet. "Um, hey Irma, could you help me here? Cornelia's not that light, you know."

Before the Guardian of Water could even _attempt _to move, someone suddenly took Cornelia off Will's shoulder. Will turned, surprised. Keeper was standing next to her in all his black-clad glory, eyes starry dark and inscrutable as ever. Strangely, he had a number 25 hanging off a chain around his neck.

"Hey, Keeper, about time you got back!" Cassidy said.

Keeper grinned. "Actually, I'm not really here. You're talking to my Astral Drone 25."

"Astral Drone 25?" Will said, looking around and realizing there were other Astral Drones now in the room, circulating among the injured and healing as they went. Some were taking care of the distasteful business of straightening corpses and making them presentable, closing their eyes and putting heads and limbs back on before covering them with a blanket. All of them had a number hanging from around their necks.

Astral Drone 25 nodded, shifting his grip on Cornelia as another bent over Irma to heal her. "Yeah. I'm multitasking, directing my Drones while I'm taking care of Elyon and the others."

Will gasped at the reminder. "Oh no! Are they all right?"

25 shook his head. "Elyon is banged up pretty badly. I'm not sure, but it think someone ripped the Crown of Light off her head while she was using it as a focus. Her energy rebounded on her. Irma, Taranee and Caleb are all unconscious, although I'm bringing them back to our rooms now. As soon as I'm done, I'm coming down to help with the healing. I'm the mean time, I want you and Irma to get back to the room and rest."

"No way!" Irma finally managed to say, getting back on her feet. "Besides, you can't tell us what to do!"

The Drone– 57– that had been tending to Irma shook his head and grimaced, looking amused as he gently poked Irma with a finger, nearly pushing her over. "You're bone tired. You need the rest. Besides, none of you can heal, so you might as well sit this one out."

Another drone passed by, saw they didn't need help, and was about to go and look for someone else when he paused. Quickly, he waved a hand over Cassidy, repairing her ruined doll clothes. It's duty done, the drone went off to heal other helpless victims.

Will sighed. "We might as well go. There's nothing more we can do here."

25 nodded. "I'll take you all up to our rooms, where I– the real, non-Astral Drone me, anyway– is currently tucking the others to bed."

"Sounds like a plan," Cassidy said.

The Astral Drone hefted Cornelia again, before turning to Will. "Will, can you power everyone down? I don't want to chance the Heart and Dark Heart's powers interacting and potentially blowing us all to kingdom come. Usually, I'd be able to control my output, but we've both taken a beating, and the Hearts' powers are leaking from both of us, so we might not be as safe as we think."

Will frowned, but nodded, seeing the wisdom of his statement. A quick summon– with Will for the first time consciously trying to suppress the Heart's power, although she wasn't sure how much good _that_ did– and the three of them were back in the clothes they'd been wearing at Heatherfield so many days ago, looking even more out of place than they had in their Guardian wear.

Power flowed from Keeper into the Astral Drone, and a cold black mist began to emanate from him, quickly covering the Guardians and Cassidy as 57 moved away to offer healing to someone else. There was a moment of disorientation, and suddenly, the veil of darkness lifted, and they were back in their room, watching as Keeper tucked a blanket under Elyon's chin as his Astral Drone moved to put Cornelia into another bed. That done, Keeper waved him off, sending the Drone who-knows-where as he turned towards the new arrivals, smiling tiredly as he stretched, popping joints before he settled heavily on a convenient chair that had suddenly slid under him.

"So," he said cheerily, if a little forced. "How'd you like the party?"

Will managed a weak smile as Cassidy rolled her eyes. Irma answered him with her usual wit. "Well, it was pretty good until those monsters popped up. We'll have to do it again some time!"

"Don't encourage him!" Cassidy said as she jumped up to the edge of a bed. "Next thing you know, he'll be inviting those things to every party he goes to."

"No, I won't," Keeper said. "Bhakhurha is a lousy dancer."

"Bhakhurha?" Irma said, bouncing over to another bed and sitting cross-legged. "The cute guy you were spending your time with?"

"Yeah, that's him," Keeper said dryly. "Rotten, absolutely rotten that guy, all he knows how to do is slash and stab."

"You're encouraging him!" Cassidy yelled at Irma.

"Could we get back to business here?" Will said, exasperated and slightly annoyed. "How are they?"

At this, Keeper sighed tiredly, closing his eyes and rubbing his eyelids. "They're fine. Hay Lin was knocked out by a magic blast. Caleb too. Taranee about the same, except it looks like she was able to fight a little before being knocked out. Elyon was the worst. Like I said, it looks like someone ripped out the Crown of Light while she was using it as a focus, destabilizing her power and causing it to rebound on her since it was apparently more than her body could take unsupported. Still, I've healed them, so now all they need is a little rest. I recommend the same for you two."

Cassidy raised an eyebrow, hands on her hips. "What about you?"

Keeper waved her off, eyes still closed. "I'm fine."

"Liar," Cassidy said. "You're dead on your feet!"

"I'll live," Keeper said. "Quite being such a mother hen. Besides, there are people downstairs I need to heal. My Drones are doing a good job, but I need to be there. There's only so much I can do through them."

"Keeper, take a break!" Cassidy suddenly yelled, flames flaring around her. "You've been fighting since last night too, and I happen to know for a fact you've been using that 'End of the World' spell of yours the whole time! Even _you_ need to rest!"

Keeper finally opened his eyes, scowling. "I'm fine," he insisted stubbornly.

Will intervened before Cassidy could do something drastic, like been him with a fireball. "Keeper, Cassidy's right. Can't you set your Drones on automatic or something, so they can keep in healing without you?"

Keeper shook his head. "They're called Drones for a reason, Will. Unlike your Astral Drops, without me directing them, they're useless. They're literally puppets, nothing more."

"Well, can't someone else play puppeteer?" Will tried, throwing up her hands.

Keeper shook his head, before pushing himself out of his chair. "Get some rest, you girls. You're probably going to need it."

"How do you figure that?" Irma said.

Keeper smirked slightly. "Men's intuition," he said, before disappearing beneath a veil of black mist.

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Harry was noticed as soon as he stepped into the room. He was sure of that. It was kind of hard not to notice him, after all. His clothes _were_ pretty distinctive, and he _had_ made an impression with Bhakhurha last night–in more ways than one, he thought with an internal snicker.

Pretending to ignore the looks, he began to do as his Astral Drones were doing and started going around healing people. Walking over to a nearby group– the Astral Drone who had been about to tend them left to me useful somewhere else– the Dark Keeper didn't even bother checking to see who exactly was injured– they all seemed pretty beat up anyway. Instead, he merely tried to recall that spell of Yuufa's from the anime. What was it again? …oh, yeah.

Harry threw his arms out to either side as ghostly wings glowed from his wrists. "_Sanctuary!_"he intoned.

A greenish glow began to emanate from the ground beneath the group, who suddenly found their wounds closing up before their very eyes as Harry moved of to the next big bunch of people wearing lots of blood, leaving lots of murmuring in his wake. A few mages were looking at him with interest, doubtlessly wanting to know if the spell was something they could do.

Harry was about to move away from his latest Sanctuary when someone suddenly grabbed his arm. Blinking, Harry turned, realizing he must be more tired than he thought if he didn't manage to feel someone coming up behind him. "Yes?"

It was the old man from the first group of people he and the Guardians had gone to back up. The old man quickly let go of Harry's sleeve, something that should have started ringing warning bells in his head, and would have if he hadn't been so sleepy. Up close, he didn't look so old as much as aged. His wrinkles were more stress lines than age lines. The fine robes he was wearing denoted his high rank– possibly a high noble or even a king– and his eyes, one brown and one gold, were steady as he looked at Harry, even after all of last night. Harry wondered if he'd healed him yet. He couldn't remember…

The old man spoke, and Harry remembered to focus. "You were the one who led the Guardians to us during the battle, weren't you? The one who wielded ice and lightning as his weapons."

Harry nodded. "You could say that."

"Then on behalf of my vassals, I thank you, Dark One. If you had not led then to stand with us, we would not have stood together and would have eventually overrun by those beasts." With that, the old man bowed low. His vassals swiftly followed, bending down before the one their lord humbled himself.

Harry stared. Okay, _that_ had never happened before. This seemed to be the first time that someone he'd helped were thanking him like this. Not that anyone had ever been ungrateful, but… "What world do you hail from?" Harry asked as something tickled his mind.

The man's answer was prompt. "Khemit, Dark One. I am Akundin, in the service of the Falaoh, Atum, ruler of Bright Lands."

"You know who I am," Harry said dully. Khemit was one of the few worlds that the Dark Heart knew about. And that meant…

"Khemit has no quarrel with you, Dark One. If the Lord of Kandrakar has judged you worthy, then we cannot hold Ill against you. Truthfully, we might have still, to our shame, had it been not for you actions in the battle. I am in your debt, Dark One," Akundin said, still bowed. Harry was beginning to feel really embarrassed, since they'd attracted an audience.

Sighing, he touched the old man on the shoulder, motioning for him to get up. "Call me Keeper," Harry said. "Just tell you Falaoh the truth about what happened here and we'll call it even, okay?"

Harry barely stopped himself from stopping Akundin from bowing. "As you wish, Da- Keeper of the Dark Heart," he said, causing some people to gasp. Harry winced.

Quickly, he took two steps back and threw his hands out to the ceiling. "_SANCTUARY!_" he cried, pushing as much magic as he dared into the spell. Screw magic economy, just heal the room and run before there's a mob. Wings flared from his wrists as green light began emanating from every square inch of floor space in the room.

"Well, see you all, good bye!" Harry yelled, disappearing in a haze of his usual mist, taking his Drones with him. No sense in leaving them something to mob, after all.

Fighting off a sudden headache, Harry looked around, wondering where he'd sent himself this time. He hadn't really been thinking, just wanting to get the heck out of there. He was still somewhere in the castle, that much he was sure of. But where exactly…?

"Hey, who are you?"

Harry whirled around in surprise. Being snuck up on twice in one day? Oh, he was _really_ slipping.

Drawing on a little more of the Dark Heart's power, Harry allowed the rush of energy it gave him to wake him up. The guy who'd snuck up on him was about his height, with blond hair and blue eyes. He was wearing the armor of the castle's guards, although said armor was dirty with blood and scratches. His left hand gripped his sword awkwardly, while his right arm was bound in an awkward sling.

Almost on reflex, Harry raised his hand, holding it out towards the arm as he let his magic flow, while the more forward parts of his mind considered how to answer that question. "Um, well…"

Harry was cut off as the guy let out a cry, shaking his hand out of his sling. "WOW! This is amazing! Are you some kind of healer?"

Harry smiled, bending his head forward to hide his dark eyes. "You could say that."

Harry suddenly found himself being dragged by the arm towards who-knows where as the blond began chattering like crazy. Harry was barely able to pay any attention to what was said as they zipped through corridors that weren't nearly as opulent as the ones he and the Guardians had passed through the day before. A passing thought labeled them as service corridors before it went to join the line of thoughts that needed caffeine or a nap.

Harry nearly stumbled as he was dragged down a dark, narrow, and steep flight of stairs, into what was obviously some kind of barracks. All around, half and less dressed men, obviously castle guards, were sitting or lying down, depending on their injuries. Most had bloody bandages tied somewhere on their bodies. In one corner of the room, the fireplace was blazing as a large cauldron of water hung over it. Various pieces of metal were thrust into the flames, which tickled something in the part of Harry's mind that was connected to the Dark Heart. The smell made him gag, an interesting mixture consisting of sweat, blood, vomit, and other such products.

They more or less breezed through the room, dodging those on the floor as well as they could, ignoring the cries and curses sprouting in their wake. Another set of doors, and soon they were in the barrack's sleeping quarters, were even more wounded were being tended to. These were obviously in even worse condition than the ones outside, as Harry felt more than one person's life force disappearing. Many were being covered by sheets, while others were already being carried out towards another door that obviously led outside. The lack of the smell of burning flesh told Harry that they were being laid out rather than being burned.

"Here he is!" the still-unidentified blond said, dragging Harry towards a form lying on one of the beds. "It's okay Eugee. Everything's going to be fine now. I found a healer who's willing to cure you."

The form stirred slightly, turning it's half bandaged face towards the direction of the blond's voice. "Jooni…? Jo, it hurts…"

The blond looked at Harry expectantly, who blinked, before realizing the blond was talking about _him_.

Hesitantly, Harry knelt down next to the bed, trying to see what was wrong and desperately wishing for a nap. "What's wrong with him?"

"One of those things spat into his face," the blond, apparently named Jooni, said loudly, gesturing at the bandage. "I think it hit his eye. Anyway, he got distracted, and…"

"I see," Harry said, trying to fight of a bout of dizziness as he summoned the Dark Heart to himself. The pendant appeared in his hand, the comforting coolness not helping in his fight to stay awake. "Can you please unwrap the bandage on his face? I don't trust my hands right now."

The blond blinked at him, but complied. Around them, people were staring in interest, and some seemed to be waiting expectantly, or building up the nerve for something. Harry had a pretty good idea what.

Someone nudged him and he blinked, realizing he'd been staring off into space. The blond was giving him a look, the bloody bandages in hand. "Hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine," Harry said, surprised his voice was so even. Everything around him felt like he was watching it through a haze or an out of body experience. Damn, he needed sleep…

Bending over the one on the bed, Harry twitched. The boy– boy? Did the one in front of him really look that young?– the boy's left eye was completely gone. Only a gaping hole was left, one that was obviously acid-burned in. In fact, if Harry leaned forward slightly, he could still smell some acid doing it's work…

Sighing, Harry closed his eyes, then decided to open them again lest he fall asleep in the middle of using his magic. That had never happened to _him_, personally, but it _had _happened to others in the past, and the results were seldom pretty.

Harry focused on the gaping eye as little details seemed to leap at him. A smaller sliver of white was visible, obviously bone; a little bit of blood was flowing on the side, from somewhere the acid wasn't able to cauterize. He let his magic flow through him, into the boy, getting the cells to start working…

The blond next to him let out a loud exclamation as the burned flesh started to heal, surprising Harry and causing him to jump back. Since he was kneeling at the time, that meant he fell over.

For the first time, the haze through which he was starting to see things burned away slightly as he glared at the blond. "Do you mind? You're lucky I didn't accidentally kill you friend when you did that!"

The blond blushed, reaching forward to help Harry up and apologizing profusely as he did so. This time he kept quiet as Harry started healing his friend's eye. He never said a word as Harry mended the flesh on the boy's face, growing back the eyelids until the face finally looked normal, if a bit sunken.

"Is he…?" the blond said.

"He has his face back, although there's nothing I could do for his eye," Harry said tiredly, "but at least there's no fear of him dying because his brain melts from leftover acid."

"But what about…" the blond said, pointing to the injuries on his friend's chest.

"Give me a minute," Harry said grouchily, and the blond drew back, probably because his mother had told him to never stand close to grouchy mages. Taking a deep breath, Harry threw out both hands. "_Sanctuary!_"

Harry was fairly certain that he didn't only get the whole room, he got the next room, the grounds, and probably most of the first floor, second floor and third floor of the castle. At least, that was what he thought before darkness came over his vision, and he felt himself falling…

----------------------------------------

Cornelia hated waking up with her hair in her face. Absolutely, totally hated it. The pounding headache she had seemed to be emphasizing her dislike for the event, as did the various minor aches and pains all over her body. For a moment, she wondered why she was lying there, when she was fairly certain there was something dangerous she had to be worrying about…

A nightmare image of monsters and the dying came to her, and her eyes snapped open, only to be met with the ceiling above her bed as seen through a screen of blonde hair. Of course, that barely managed to register as she snapped upright, hand out and ready to throw some magic around.

And she very well would have if she hadn't had a sudden attack of dizziness. With a groan, she fell back on her pillow, regretting waking up as she wished herself back to sleep.

"Feeling better?" a familiar voice said softly, if a bit too loudly for her tastes in her current state.

"Not so loud," she said, trying to open her eyes. Caleb was sitting next to her bed, looking very concerned. Gently, he reached out and took her hand.

She managed an annoyed smile. "Why didn't you do that sooner?"

"Well, you looked so cute lying there, I didn't want to disturb you," he bantered back.

Cornelia smiled at the rather corny reply, before her face took on a serious cast. "What happened?"

"Apparently, Cassidy had you knocked out because you looked like you were about to have a breakdown and go nuts," Caleb said, a small flash of anger in his eyes at the mention of the ex-Guardian. He apparently didn't like the fact they'd had to hurt his girlfriend, even if it _did_ keep her from doing something fatal.

"Remind me to thank her," Cornelia said. "And get back at her somehow."

Caleb smiled at that. "You sure you don't want me to do it for you?"

"Nah, this needs a personal touch," Cornelia said. "Although you can help if you want."

"That would be nice," Caleb said.

Cornelia smiled. Somehow, her head felt a little better already.

Her smile turned into a frown however, as she asked, "Are the others all right?"

At this, Caleb bit his lip, looking at one of the other beds in the room. "Everyone's alive. Taranee and Hay Lin got knocked out pretty hard, but all they have are a couple of bad bumps. So did I, by the way. Keeper already healed us."

"Aw, my poor baby," Cornelia cooed. Taking his head in her hands, she had him bend down as she kissed the top of his head. "There. Is that better?"

Caleb chuckled. "You should get knocked unconscious more often," he said, earning him a swat on the head. "Ow!"

"Bad baby," Cornelia admonished.

Caleb smiled for a moment before sobering up again. "The other Guardians are fine too. Just a few cuts and bruises along with fatigue. Keeper looked okay, or so the others told me. Cassidy said we shouldn't worry about him. Something about a curse."

Caleb abruptly fell silent, turning to look at the other bed again. Cornelia frowned, pushing herself up to see what he was looking at. She gasped at the sight of Elyon lying there unconscious, her pale flaxen hair strewn on the pillow like a halo.

"ELYON!" Cornelia cried, stumbling hurriedly to her feet, causing Caleb to stumble back in surprise. She managed to get about two steps before her head began to spin. She stumbled, and Caleb barely managed to catch her. "What happened to her?" she asked frantically, still trying to reach her unconscious friend.

"Keeper says someone ripped the Crown of Light from her head when she was using it, causing her power to rebound on her," Caleb said, anger very evident in his voice as he helped her towards the unconscious princess. "He says all she needs is rest, but she's been unconscious for hours."

"Why hasn't he tried to heal her again?" Cornelia asked, suddenly irrationally angry at the Keeper of the Dark Heart.

"We haven't seen him since he left," Caleb said. "The others went looking for him, but they're not back yet."

"He just left?" Cornelia said as she dropped down as gently as she could next to Elyon.

"They said he went downstairs to help heal people, but apparently he didn't hang around for long. Someone recognized him as the Keeper of the Dark Heart."

Cornelia shook her head, putting the Dark Keeper out of her mind. "Oh, Elyon…" she said, reaching down to stroke the other girl's forehead. "What did they do to you?"

She felt Caleb behind her and closed her eyes, leaning against him as she continued stroking Elyon. _This felt nice_, she thought, letting herself drift in his arms. Her soul mate behind her, a cute girl, her best friend, next to her. The moment was perfect.

Her stomach chose that moment to ruin it.

Caleb chuckled in her ear as she blushed. "I'll get you something to eat," Caleb said as he reluctantly pulled away. "This might take a while, since most of the servants are occupied, so try not to eat anyone while I go down to the kitchen."

She tried to glare at him, but he ignored it as he bent down to kiss her cheek. Her blush deepened, especially since she'd turned her head ever-so-slightly so that he ended up grazing her lips. "Be back soon," she said.

He gave a mock bow. "As you command, your highness," he said, smiling gently before turning on his heel, closing the door behind him as he looked back at her.

Sighing half-dreamily to herself, Cornelia moved to lean against Elyon's headboard, her hand still quietly stroking the other girl's forehead.

"That's kind of nice," Elyon murmured weakly.

Cornelia blinked. "Elyon!" she exclaimed, only to see her wince.

"Not so loud," Elyon muttered. "My head feels like someone went at it with a chainsaw. From inside."

Cornelia winced, chagrined. She should have remembered how that felt. "When did you wake up?"

"When your stomach growled," Elyon said, sounding amused. "Got anything to eat?"

"Caleb went to go get me something," the blonde said as she helped the other girl up. "How do you feel?"

"Lousy," the princess said. "I remember fighting Lanphere, then it was like someone set off a grenade in my head."

Cornelia paused. "Lanphere? That lady in black you went with?"

Elyon nodded, pursing her lips. "It was a trap, Cornelia. She beat the snot out of us and kidnapped Emerous."

"_That_ must be where Keeper went," Cornelia said, half to herself. "He suddenly disappeared just before he was about to do something nasty to someone he was fighting."

At the memory of the pale-haired stranger, Cornelia winced, her free had going up to an unmarred part of her skin that hadn't been all that unmarred last night. He'd caught them by surprise, since they hadn't expected him to be able to do anything with his legs broken….

Cornelia shivered at the memory. She'd nearly lost her arm to him, and if it hadn't been for a healer, she'd have died of poisoning.

"Are you all right?" Elyon asked, noticing her shaking.

"I'm fine," Cornelia lied. "Bad memories from last night."

"What happened after Keeper made us leave?" Elyon asked.

"We were swarmed," Cornelia said, and proceeded to relate what had happened. Her memories were sketchy, and she deliberately skirted the bloodier portions of the night. She didn't need to relive them now, since she was fairly sure she'd be having nightmares for days.

At the end of her little recital, she somehow found herself being held by a softly murmuring Elyon as tears leaked down her face, her slightly hysterical voice finally subsiding as she drew support. "And then I blacked out and here I am."

"Well, you're safe, and that's the important thing," Elyon said, then smiled slightly. "Although getting conked out probably wasn't fun."

Cornelia chuckled at the weak attempt at a joke, but it was a chuckle nonetheless. "Thanks Ely…"

Elyon smiled up at her, and Cornelia's heart skipped a beat. Elyon looked so pure, so innocent as she gazed up at the taller blonde. Such clear eyes, fair skin, soft lips… So captivated was the Earth Guardian that it took her a while to realize the lips she was admiring were forming words, and had been for a while.

"– the least I could do for you for believing in me even after I–" Elyon was saying, looking slightly downcast, only to be silenced as Cornelia's finger came to rest on her lips.

"If this is about that little misunderstanding involving Cedric and Phobos," at the names, Cornelia's voice entered the 'growl' end of the spectrum, "then forget about it. Those two were scum who were manipulating you for their own ends. If it's anyone's fault, then it should be mine. You were my best friend, but I didn't tell you when things started getting weird with the others. Heck, I trusted Will before I trusted you, and I barely knew her. So don't blame yourself for that. I don't'."

Suddenly, an impish grin appeared on Cornelia's face. "Besides, if you hadn't fallen to the Dark Side, I probably wouldn't have ever met Caleb!"

"You would have," Elyon said. "You'd have met him eventually. If nothing else, Vathek or Professor Rudolph would have introduced you two."

The grin got slightly wider as Cornelia tightened her grip on the other girl. "Yeah, but I like the poetry of the thought that most important girl in my life introduced me to the most important boy in my life."

Elyon blinked, looking up at Cornelia again. The blonde was struck once more by how luminous her eyes were. Light of Meridian indeed…

"Am I really the most important girl in your life?" Elyon said, then added jokingly, "Or is that just a line for you to get me into bed and have your way with me?"

Cornelia rolled her eyes and swore bloody vengeance on Keeper, truce or not. "We're already in bed," she said, going along with the joke, "and it's not a line."

Elyon tilted her head, a smile tugging at her lips. "So does this mean you're going to have your way with me?"

Cornelia gave her a look. "If you were anyone else, you'd already have a bump on your head for keeping that up. The only special treatment you're getting is no lumps."

"Aww…" Elyon said, pouting cutely, and Cornelia suddenly felt herself leaning forward…

Her lips were on Elyon's before she knew what was happening. For a moment, time stood still as the two merely started at each other, both literally nose to nose and eye to eye…

Then a loud crash came from the anteroom, followed by Hay Lin's cry of, "Hey, we've found Keeper! You'll never guess where he was!"

The door to their room opened, and Irma and Will barged in. "Hey! We've found Keeper! Now he can heal Elyon again and– oh, Elyon, you're up! How are you feeling?" Irma asked.

"F-fine…" Elyon said, looking at Cornelia with a strange look in her eye. Said Guardian was doing her best to keep from going red as Will's hair.

"That's not all," Will said, and something in her tone instantly scrubbed all other emotional tones from the atmosphere, leaving behind a serous air. The Keeper of the Heart held up the Heart Of Kandrakar. "Kandrakar just called…"

----------------------------------------

Harry was awakened when he felt _someone_ deliver a firm kick to his forehead. "HEY!" he cried, flailing about momentarily before he finally sat up and rubbed his offended brow. "What's the big idea?"

Then he blinked, realizing he was in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room, with most of the Guardians crowded around him. Cassidy was standing by his pillow, obviously the one who had kicked him. "Hey, where am I?"

Cassidy rolled her eyes (all 360 degrees of it), before pointing to a blond in armor that Harry barely remembered. "He says you passed out after healing everyone within a hundred and fifty feet from you."

Harry blinked, scratching his head. "I did? Uh, hang on, let me check."

Quickly, he accessed the Dark Heart's memories. "Oh yeah, I guess I did."

"What happened to you, anyway?" Will said.

"Hey, you try getting rid of a flight of dragons all night, and healing a lot of people, let's see how well _you_ stay awake!" Harry snapped then winced, feeling a headache coming on. "Sorry, just kind of grouchy right now. Where's Bhakhurha?"

He did _not_ like the way that they all looked at each other like that. "What happened?" he asked.

"Bhakhurha got away," Cassidy said, looking at Harry accusingly. "He used his magic to escape shortly after you dumped him on us. Nearly killed Cornelia on his way out, too."

"HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?" Harry demanded as he got to his feet. He swayed a bit as he stood, but otherwise he was fine. "I BROKE BOTH HIS LEGS! HOW DID HE MANAGE TO ESCAPE?"

If anything, Cassidy looked at him even more accusingly. "He used his magic to summon his pouches then used some kind of potion to heal himself. Then he killed three soldiers with that knife of his and nearly killed Cornelia before finally making a break for it."

"And it didn't occur to you to break his legs again or just kill him?" Harry said.

"LOOK WHO'S TALKING?" Cassidy yelled, suddenly erupting. "WHY DIDN'T _YOU_ KILL HIM IF YOU WANTED HIM DEAD THAT MUCH?"

"I was planning to continue where we left off," Harry growled. "Then I got a little sidetracked, what with Lanphere and her lackeys getting away because of a bunch of dragons."

"Lady Lanphere?" the blond said. "What about her?"

"She was the one who sent those monsters as a cover for her to kidnap the Prince," Harry said, ignoring the look of shock blooming on the blond's face. "So he escaped?"

"Yes, and in hindsight, it's all your fault," Cassidy said.

"How is that _my_ fault?" Harry demanded.

"If you hadn't fooled around and just killed all those things with the Dark Heart, we wouldn't be having this discussion!"

"And what makes you think I could have done that?" Harry growled.

"I just remembered, my superior wants me to do something," the blond suddenly said, and was gone. Harry and Cassidy didn't notice, too focused on each other.

"You've been going on about your infinite power. You stop time like it was nothing. Why didn't you just stop time and kill all those things or something?" Cassidy shot back.

"It's not that easy!" Harry yelled. "You of all people should understand! You used to be a Keeper of the Heart!"

"Well, I didn't go around stopping time!"

"Why do you think I don't?"

There was a pause.

"What?" Cassidy said. The other Guardians leaned forward to listen.

Harry dropped down on the bed. "Stopping time isn't that easy. It takes concentration and power, something that doesn't come easily to that kind of situation. Why do you think if I had to concentrate on it in the Lodelyday?"

"That was concentrating?" Will said.

"Don't knock it. It's harder than it looks," Harry said.

"What about you keeping time stopped on Earth all this time?" Cassidy demanded.

"That's merely a matter of controlling when you leave and come back," Harry said dismissively. "Kandrakar has things that can do the same thing. Bottom line is that I'm strong, but I'm still human. There's a limit to how much power I can use safely. Why do you think Elyon needs the Crown of Light?"

"This is still you fault," Cassidy said.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "I don't have time for this. I need to find Lanphere and Bhakhurha and get the Crown of Light back–"

"Yeah, about that," Will said, suddenly nervous. "Kandrakar called…"

Will trailed off, not looking at him.

"Spit it out Vandom!" Harry said, losing patience.

"Theywantyoutoleavethisworld. We'resupposedtotakeoverfromhere," Will said in a rush.

Harry's eyes narrowed. "Say that again?"

Will gulped. "They want you to leave this world. We're supposed to take over from here. Whatever _that_ means."

Harry bowed his head, grinding his teeth. "I… see…" he said.

Abruptly, he disappeared.

----------------------------------------

Will blinked, before looking around to make sure he was really gone. "Well, that went better than expected."

Irma shuddered. "Tell me about it. I'm shaking here."

"Where do you think he went?" Taranee asked nervously.

Cassidy sniffed, quite a feat since she didn't have lungs. "Who cares."

"You do," Hay Lin said.

Will took a deep breath, let it out. "Come on. Let's get back to our room. I have a feeling we'll need to get moving."

"What clued you in?" Irma said. "The fact the nearly everyone else is leaving?"

"More food for us!" Hay Lin said.

When they finally got back to their rooms, they found Caleb, Cornelia and Elyon finally up and eating. Caleb was looking questioningly between the two girls, who were eating in silence.

"Cornelia! Elyon! You're both up!" Hay Lin said, rushing towards the two girls.

"How are you two feeling?" Will asked, watching Hay Lin hug the two as she helped herself to some bread.

"Fine," Cornelia said, looking both annoyed and relieved as she tried to pry Hay Lin off her. "How'd things go with Keeper?"

There was an uneasy silence.

"That bad, huh?" Elyon said.

"Could have been worse," Will said again. "He disappeared after I told him Kandrakar wants us to handle getting back the Crown of Light. The Oracle was being all vague as usual, and I'm pretty sure he's not telling me everything–"

"So what else is new?" Cornelia muttered, protecting her food after finally getting Hay Lin off her.

"–but he _did_ say we needed to get the Crown of Light back," Will finished.

Elyon just nodded. "I'm coming with you."

Caleb blinked. "Princess–!"

"Oh, calm down, Caleb. You're coming with us while Vathek takes the stuff we don't need home," Elyon said. "I might not have the Crown, but I'm not totally defenseless. Jerks they might have been, but Cedric and Phobos _did_ teach me how to use my powers. "

"But–" the former Rebel said.

"Caleb, I'm going, you're coming with me, and that's final!" Elyon said, speaking in a voice that commanded and expected to be obeyed. It wasn't the whiny, demanding voice of a brat. It was the voice of a true Princess.

There was only one response. "Yes, your highness," Caleb said.

Elyon nodded, satisfied, and everyone knew they were looking at royalty. For some reason, Cornelia wasn't looking so well.

"Well then," Hay Lin said, breaking the silence that had fallen as she reached for the food. "Let's eat!"

----------------------------------------

Keeper was waiting for them when they stepped out of the room.

"Hey," he said easily, acting as if nothing had happened. "I've just been to Kandrakar. They basically told me my job was done, and that it was your turn. If it's any consolation, I don't think the Oracle knew this would happen. I think they're just jumping on an opportunity to send you somewhere. "

Everyone eyed him warily, and he chuckled. "No hard feelings. If I understand their reasoning correctly, then my being here would do you more harm than good."

"What do you mean? You could help us kick ass!" Irma said.

"Well, yeah, I could. But if I did that, how'd you learn how to be self-sufficient?" Keeper said nonchalantly.

"What do you mean?" Will said. "We've done well before on our own!"

"Yes, but then, you regularly came back home between visits to the Metamoor. Now, you have to keep going. You can't go home until the end. Until you get the Crown of Light back," Keeper said. "And ass for kicking ass, you can all do fine on your own. Just be imaginative."

"Where are you going?" Caleb asked.

Keeper shrugged. "Around. I can't go back to Earth yet since time will start without you and you didn't leave Astral Drops, so I think I'll go back to exploring. Maybe visit Yuko again."

"**You're going _back _to that crazy witch?**" Cassidy exclaimed.

"Be nice, she's cute," Keeper said. "Anyway, I'm just here to wish you luck. That, and to give Caleb something."

With that, Keeper held out his hand. "I don't know if anything happened to your sword," Keeper said as silvery liquid began to appear, floating in midair in his hands, "so I thought I'd give you one."

Everyone watched as a long, thin sword began to form beneath Keeper's outstretched hand, the point dripping lower and lower as a simple hilt and pommel began to weave into existence. Soon, a sword with a six-foot blade floated before them.

Gripping the handle, Keeper caused bandages to appear and wrap around it before tossing it over to Caleb, who nearly fumbled it before grabbing it securely by it's heavily wrapped blade. "No sheath can hold that properly, so just hang it on your back and use you magic to remove the bandages when you need to. At the very least, it's good for scaring people."

"Don't you think it's a bit, um, long?" Caleb said, gawking at the weapon in his hand. His own sword was barely a third this size!

"Hey, there are few problems you can't solve with magic and a seven-foot sword," Keeper said, then grinned. "Those you can't usually involve world hunger, world peace, and women."

"Come again? "Cassidy said dangerously.

Laughing, Keeper turned away, waving jauntily over his shoulder. "Well, good luck! And if you run into Bhakhurha, call me, okay? I want another crack at that bastard, and Kandrakar be damned!"

In a flicker of mist, he was gone.

As everyone stared at the spot, trying to decide whether or not they'd just dreamed everything that just happened, one of the castle guards came up to them and bowed. "Princess Elyon? Lady Guardians? _Salamangkero _Clef requests your presence."

They all looked at each other.

"Well, let's go see what he wants, shall we?" Cassidy said, and they all turned to follow the guard.

----------------------------------------

In a Japan far away, Harry found himself facing a beautiful, regal-looking woman. "Hello, Yuko-san. Has the book come in yet?"

The Dimensional Witch smiled. "It should be here soon. In fact, I think Watanuki is picking it up on the way from school today. Would you like to come inside for some sake as we wait?"

"Lead on. Although you wouldn't happen to have any soda, would you?"

"I'll see what we can dig up…"

(Read '**_Harry Potter and the Collided Worlds_**' by **Sokai**, story id 2502930)

**- To be continued... in _W-I-T-C-H: Duelist Knights and the Crown of Light! _**

(Read '**_Harry Potter and the Collided Worlds_**' by **Sokai**, story id 2502930)

A/N: I'm closing this particular story for now. Keeper is moving in with someone else, while the Guardians are having their own adventure. Don't worry, Keeper isn't dead, he's just in hiding. If you want to know where he is, read **_W-I-T-C-H: Duelist Knights and the Crown of Light!_** I'll be revealing his location eventually…

Please review, C&C welcome.

Until next time, this is Shadow, signing off.


End file.
